A Guardian's Lineage
by Zeraphime
Summary: Mirabel Szelsky's life is thrown upside down when she meets a Dhampir student that just transferred from St. Basil's, enough to make her throw centuries of old-fashioned opinions aside. Alexei, who knows nothing of his own parentage, has a lineage of skilled guardians behind him. What will they do they discover his relation to one of the most skilled guardians in the world?
1. Chapter 1

_Hello! This story have been sitting in my head (the first chapters) and some one paper for the past two years. I'm not the fastest writer, but I finally found a wonderful Beta who could correct my mistakes and I feel satisfied enough to start posting the story!_

_The main characters will be out of my own imagination, though the original characters will appear in the story. They all belong to the very talented author Richelle Mead.  
_

_I hope that you will enjoy this story of mine!_

* * *

**One**

**_12 years earlier_**  
**_December, a few days before Christmas_**

"Da, mama, i daĭ Alexei bolʹshoĭ potseluĭ ot menya", **(Yes mom, and give Alexei a big kiss from me) **

"Da, dorogaya, ya budu. Do svidaniya", **(Yes sweetheart, I will. Goodbye)**

"Do svidaniya", Nina pressed the call away. While talking to her mother, she had heard her son's talk and noises in the background as he played with some of his cars. She had only been away for three days, but she missed him as if she had been gone for three months.

"Nina! We are serving the dessert now!" Amy Badica appeared in the doorway to the guest room and knocked on the already open door. Nina nodded towards her friend and rose from the bed in the guest room. She was still full from the dinner and dessert did not appeal that much to her. But it was Amy's birthday, and Nina could take a small slice. She was thirstier for blood than cake anyway.

"I am coming", she smiled.

Amy Badica (Though married Drozov since about a year back) smiled widely back. She was a Moroi, born into one of the smaller royal families in America, the Badica's. She was just as tall and slim as every other Moroi; however, she was now a little curvier around the bust and bottom after the birth of her daughter two months ago. She had dark blonde hair, cut in a longer page that reached to her shoulders and dark blue eyes. All of the Badica's had that northern Europe emergence; the whole family was probably descended from northern Scandinavia or possibly Russia.

Nina herself was a non-royal Moroi from Russia, born and raised in Saint Petersburg where she lived in her mother's house along with her six year old son Alexei. Her pregnancy had been totally unplanned and she had given birth to him about six months after she had graduated, much to her mother's dismay. But even though she disapproved of her daughter having a child in such young age without a man, she had supported Nina during the whole process. Towards the end, she thought that her mother finally started to melt into the thought of having a grandchild; that was until she met him though. The father was a Dhampir that had been in one of her classes at school; and as know, Dhampir and Moroi relationships could end in a Dhampir child. Her mother was a strict woman; and in her opinion, Moroi women didn't birth Dhampir children.  
Nevertheless, Nina loved her little boy more than anything.

Amy vanished from the doorway and went to entertain her guests and take out the dessert. Nina followed her though the hallway and into the living room, where Amy's husband and brother still sat at the table, talking open hearted with each other as they each drank from a glass of wine. It was a poor gathering for Amy's 25th birthday, but apparently this had been a bad weekend for her relatives to drive all the way to Billings to celebrate her.  
Amy's nephews, two boys 9 and 7 years old, had already left the table and were playing loudly in the guest room.

Just as Nina sat down at the table Amy came out of the kitchen with a blue tray in her hands. On the tray stood a chocolate cake covered in cream along with some plates and spoons. It was a small cake, but Moroi couldn't consummate as much ordinary food as Dhampirs and humans could. Amy's brother whistled and clapped his hand at the sight of the cake.

With a wide smile on his lips, he rose from the table and held his glass up. "Let us sing for the birthday girl."

With blushing cheeks, Amy sat down while the other rose and started to sing. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear A- -"

They were interrupted in the song by the sound of crushed glass. Everyone grew quiet, waiting for further sounds. They all hoped that the boys had accidentally broken a window pane or that whatever they had heard was something they had imagined.  
Rather, they all hoped that it was nothing to worry about.

All the guardians in the house were suddenly on high alert. All three of them had their stakes out, ready to kill any possible threat, searching and listening for more sounds. But everything was quiet.

Amy shot her husband a frightened look turned her head towards the bedroom where their daughter had started to cry from the noise.

"Arthur, what's going on?" she asked worryingly. Guardian Schoenberg, a tall man in his late 40's, appeared in the entrance between the living room and the hallway, his silver stake ready in his hands and eyes searching the area.

"We don't know yet", he said. His legendary presence and dark voice calmed everyone down a bit, except for Amy, whose gaze was fixed on the direction of the nursery. Just as the glass to the patio door exploded she ran in direction towards her screaming daughter.

Nina screamed loud and covered her face with her hands, protecting it from the flying glass. The sharp pieces cut up small scratches on the top of her hands. She removed her hands just in time to see a tall and dark haired Strigoi entered the living room though the patio door. She had never seen a Strigoi before, and she was petrified by the apparition. She was used to the pale skin of the Moroi race, but this, his skin was chalky while shade as the skin of a corpse. Two eyes that once must have been warmly brown were lined with red, cutting of anything but a cold and listless look.

Nina was unable to say anything. This house was supposed to be safe; it was supposed to have wards to protect them. But now, a Strigoi stood in the living room.

And there was no guardians coming.

All of sudden, the sound of several more window panes being broken echoed in the house, along with the sound of broken wood. One Strigoi was bad enough, but now several Strigoi were suddenly entering the house. Two more came in from the patio door and at least two entered through the front door.

In the entrance to the hallway, Nina heard a gurgling sound and saw a body landed lump on the floor. Guardian Schoenberg's silver stake rolled a couple of feet on the ground before stopping. One of the boys, Daniel, who obviously was frightened by the situation but probably didn't realize the seriousness of it, came running into the living room to seek protection with his father.

For some reason, the two Strigoi in the hallway let him be. However, the female Strigoi in by the patio door didn't.  
She took two steps towards him, and he barely had a chance to slow down before she grabbed him by his hair. Daniel's father, Amy's brother, took a leap up from the chair to get to his son's aid.

Nina took a step forward in a foolish attempt to help, her own motherly instincts acting on autopilot. No one had the time to act before the female Strigoi twisted Daniel's neck out of place and tossed the lifeless body aside, landing next to the sofa.

When she heard the painful whimpering from Daniel's father, Nina felt as she if had been slapped in the face. Coldness and fear clasped around her stomach. At first, she had thought everything had been a horrible dream and she just woke up to face the reality, which was almost worse than the feeling that it was a dream. There was Strigoi in the house who was there to drain them all. No mercy.

Of course, Strigoi felt no mercy or compassion towards anyone. Not even each other.

The female, a woman with blonde hair, took a step towards Nina, who stumbled back a few steps. The Strigoi, who was a lot faster, grabbed her throat in a choke hold, exposing her fangs in a growl of satisfaction before burying her strong fingers into Nina's throat. She saw the red ring of death around the blue eyes burning with blood thirst.

Nina's thoughts immediately went to her little boy in Russia, her little Alexei, and she sent a quick thought to any higher gods that might exist that she left him with her mother. She wasn't scared for her own sake, she was scared for his. If she died today, he would be an orphan since his father was not in the picture. The thought of not being able to be in his life as he grew up hurt more in her heart than the female Strigoi's hard grip around her throat. As the tight grip pressed her blood vessels together, cutting off the blood flow to the brain, Nina's head started to spin and her field of vision started to crawl inwards. Right before she thought that she would faint, she realized that she would not survive this. The female enjoyed seeing all hope of surviving vanish from Nina's brown eyes.

She gripped even tighter, her nails cutting through the skin with a sharp pain. With one jerk, the Strigoi ripped her throat open.

Nina's life was over in within a second, her face turned blank and she fell onto her back in front of the TV. Like a dark halo, her dark hair spilled out over the floor while the blood pumped out from the open gash.

It would take two days before someone found the victims of the Badica Massacre.

* * *

_Let me know what you think of it and many thanks to my Beta-reader who sees every little mistake that I make! :)_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	2. Chapter 2

**Two **

_**Alexei Boyarov  
Present day – November**_

I could almost hear the crack before it connected. A few seconds too late I realized where my fist was heading and it connected with my combat partner's nose. He groaned loudly and backed up a few steps with a hand over his injured nose, a few red drops started to sip between his fingers and down on his grey training shirt. Those closest around us stopped in their fighting to watch the damage, but our trainer yelled at them to continue.

"I am sorry", I said. "Are you okay?" My combat partner groaned again, but nodded and gripped the bridge of his nose to make the bleeding stop. Our trainer, Guardian Bowden patted the boy's back.

"Go to the nurse and get that nose adjusted", he ordered and shot a glance at me. My combat partner hesitated for a moment, probably reluctant to leave training, but did as our instructor told him. Guardian Bowden eyed me.

"Good punch, but you know that we don't hit above the neck", he said stiffly.

"I know, Guardian Bowden. I miscalculated."

He eyed me again, nodding to my fist. "Is your wrist okay?"

I spread my fingers, knowing that the throbbing in my knuckles would soon pass. "It is fine." I had had worse injuries.

"Grab someone available", Guardian Bowden said and turned his back to me with a short nod. To take my earlier combat partner's place, another dhampir stepped in front of me. He was almost my height, but with a body a lot more muscular. The front and of his shirt was drenched in sweat and he had a half-healed bruise below his eye. A few wet drops from his perspiring hair dripped down his temples.

"I will try not to break your nose too", I tried to joke. However, I feared that I sounded too serious for him to understand that.

Luckily, he understood the joke and grinned. "I'll do the same."

* * *

An hour later, I left the novices' gym to shower before lunch. All my classes before lunch break were some sort of physical training, and I longed to step into the shower to wash away the sweat.

I opened the door to my room. It was smaller than what others had, but I did not have a roommate. Its only furniture was a bed and a small drawer apart from the door to the bathroom. I dropped my sweaty clothes on the bathroom floor before taking a step into the shower. The novice I had fought against after I broke the nose of the other had been a match. He had been good, giving me a few punches on my ribcage that I still felt and would probably feel tomorrow. He was one hell of a fighter.

I had been at St. Vladimir's Academy in America since school started in August. Earlier, I had been a pupil at St. Basil's Academy in Russia until I was offered to enrol in an exchange program over a year that would end with my graduation and final trails to be a guardian.

My father had been a guardian. He still was, but since I had never met him I usually thought of him as something no longer existing from my past. He and my mom had been in my age when she got pregnant after being together for a year, much unplanned of course. My father had always wanted to be a guardian, and my mother had not let my arrival stop that. Apparently, things had been clear between them that they would not stay together after graduation. I do not know if it had hurt him to leave mom while she was expecting me, but according to my grandmother, my mother had pushed on that he would become a guardian.

My mother was dead since many years back. She died in a tragedy known as "The Badica Massacre". I was perhaps five or six at the time when my mother visited a friend of the Badica family in America and a group of Strigoi attacked the house, killing everybody inside. Luckily, I had been with my grandmother at the time.

I turned the water off and grabbed a towel from the hanger next to the shower door. I quickly dried my torso and arms before wrapping it around my waist. I turned around and took a quick look in the bathroom mirror. I had plenty of small bruises on my arms and ribcage, but the rest of my lightly tanned torso was free from damage. I was tall, even for a Dhampir, at almost 6'3 in height. Combat training since I was seven years old had given me a lean and strong body with apparent muscles on my arms, chest, stomach and back.  
My parents had given me genes for a handsome and attractive face with high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes and full lips, framed by black hair that curled down my neck. I could put it up in a small tail in the neck if I wanted. I stroke my chin with my index finger and my thumb, the stubble telling me that I hadn't shaved since yesterday morning.

After putting on some clothes, I went straight down to the dining hall for lunch.

* * *

I took my seat in the middle of the dining hall, with enough distance so I would not interfere with the other people at the long table. I held my head down my plate, eating concentrated, although my eyes repeatedly scanned the room. I shook my head as I caught myself doing it, again. It must be guardian blood, since I always found myself inspecting my environment for any kind of danger that could appear. I sighed quietly and almost rolled my eyes at myself; I act like a guardian before I have even graduated.

A light laugh stood out from the regular buzz that I usually organised as a background noise. I raised my gaze a little too find the source of the laugh. It was from the group of the popular Moroi, which consisted of mostly royal Moroi but also some non-royal. I had only been at St. Vladimir's for a year, transferred from St. Basil's in Russia, but now I had learned who was Royal and who was not.

The girl laughed again, and now I could distinguish who did it. I recognized her as a royal Moroi, although I did not know her name. She had her wavy, dark brown hair in a bun on the back of her head. She was just as tall and slender as all the other Moroi, but her face was rounder around the cheeks and her body held a few curves on the right places that any Moroi girl probably would sell their fangs to have.  
Just as I was going to lower my gaze, the Royal Moroi girl turned her head and looked right at me. We looked gazes for a moment; she gave me a small smile and turned her head a little to the side. I nodded in return. When she turned her head back to her group of friends, I returned to my food.

"Mr Boyarov?" I stopped to chew the full fork of pasta I had just put in mouth. One of my teacher's, Mrs Renard, a French Moroi, stood on the other side of the table. As usual, she had her strawberry blonde hair in a tight braid, keeping the hair from her pale face. She was perhaps close to 50, but she did not look more than 40.

I swallowed my food before I spoke. "Yes, Mrs Renard?"

"The Headmaster would like to see you", she said with that French accent she did not even bothered to hide.

"Can I finish my food before I go?" I asked. Mrs Renard opened her mouth, probably to protest, but she closed it again and nodded.

She looked un-amused and slightly annoyed while she had to stand and watch me finish her food, but she did not say anything. Just as I put the last the last piece of pasta in my mouth, her patience ended.

"Done?" She asked.

I shot her a glanced and nodded. "Yes."  
Mrs Renard walked ahead of me towards the headmaster's office. She was quick in her steps; I had to pick up my own pace to keep up with her. She knocked on the door twice before the Headmaster on the other side told us to enter. Mrs Renard opened the door and made a gesture towards me to go inside; she did not follow me, but closed the door behind me.

"Headmaster Alto", I greeted.

The Headmaster gave me a light smile. He was in his early 40's, very young for a headmaster. However, his black hair had already grown a few grey streaks and he had visible lines around her mouth and eyes. I had heard that he had been a douche bag when he was simply a teacher here, but as a headmaster he gave a strong impression of a firm hand and seemed to do a good job as the leader of the school. Perhaps in future he would be told to have ruled this school just as well as his predecessor, Kirova.

"I apologize if I interrupted your lunch, Mr. Boyarov?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I managed to finish it."

"I'm going to go straight to the point, if you do not mind?"

I shook my head again. "Not at all."

Headmaster Alto adjusted his position in the chair and moved a pencil an inch to the left before he spoke. "I've heard about your skills in combat, your combat teachers have been telling me what a potential you have to be a very good a guardian." I got the feeling that he did not give praises easily, but I nodded in thanks for the commendation.

"I did not know they thought so highly of me", I said.

The headmaster eyed me. "Surely you are aware of your skills?"

I swallowed. I knew that I had skills, but I hated to tell other people that. "I have heard that I am good." I finally admitted. I hated to brag. One should never overestimate oneself, for that is dangerous both social and in combat. Dangerous for me that would mean, not for my opponent.

"More than good, from what I have heard. And it's because of your skills I have called you here", Headmaster Alto grew more serious. "As the society is built, the Royal family is the ones who have to be protected first. The other Royal Moroi families are next in lines for guardians and, unfortunately, the less important Moroi families will have to make it on their own." Headmaster Alto continued. "And, sadly, guardians age just like the rest of us and starts lacking in skills, it is for the best that they are replaced by someone younger and stronger."

"A newly graduated can never be compared to an experienced guardian" I interrupted.

Headmaster Alto agreed with a nod. "You are absolutely right. An experienced guardian could be worth three fresh guardians. However, a young guardian can surpass their contemporary guardians with some tutoring from a skilled guardian."

I waited for him to get to the point. Who was the guardian he wanted me to replace? When he spoke again, he must have read my thoughts in my face.

"After your graduation, you've been asked to be the new guardian to Lucas Dragomir."

My eyes actually widened in surprise. Lucas Dragomir was the oldest son (though the second child) to Queen Vasilisa and her husband Christian, who had the title of King Consort since he was not the main ruler. I had figured out by now it would be something important he brought me in here to tell. However, I had not expected it would be a proposal to be a future guardian to the Queen's son.

"I am not ready for that kind of responsibility," I swallowed.

Headmaster Alto eyed me. "Your teachers are of a different opinion. That is why they recommended you for this task."

"So may be. However, putting the prince as my first assignment after graduation seems risky for his safety", I countered.

"Two of the royal guardians have agreed to tutor you until they think you are ready. However, now when I have given you the proposal, you can consider it until you graduate. But honestly, Mr Boyarov, you would be a fool if refusing the offer."

I nodded, grateful that he had been completely honest with his own thoughts and appraisal. "Thank you, Headmaster Alto."

* * *

_I hope that you enjoyed it! _

_Love, Zeraphime_


	3. Chapter 3

**Three **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_

After finishing our lunch, I went with my group of girls back to our dorm to get our things for class. It was 20 minutes until the class started; I had more time than usual before the class after lunch. I usually spent my time with a friend named Vanessa Badica, whom I had been with since we started our freshman year here at the academy. However, this week her parents had brought her to Paris for a rare family trip, and I couldn't wait until she returned. This group of girls was more her friends than mine, but they were okay company for most of the time. All of the girls were from royal families; one or two were distant relatives to myself, and saw themselves as an "elite group" at the school. When they didn't comment on how other dressed or from what family there were from, they were actually quite nice to hang out with.

Joanna Szelsky, whom I was related to as cousin three times removed or something, was the one I hanged with the most when Vanessa was not around and the one currently digging her way to the back of my closet.

"Seriously, Bel, don't you have anything that is not from last year?" She exclaimed as she pulled out garment after garment from the racks.

"I do, but you have already passed them", I said without taking my eyes from the pages of the gossip magazine. I was not really interested in how many pounds that celebrity had gained or how much that celebrity had been drinking, but I was out of books and other magazines to read.

Joanna hummed from my closet and continued to look. She had her light brown, shoulder length hair in a messy bun in the back of the head and was only dressed in small shorts and a tank top. She started to whistle quietly as her eyes searched through my clothes. After a couple of minutes, she gave up a contented sound and pulled something out from the closet. "This is the one!"

I looked up; facing a strapless, mid-long blue evening dress I bought for my birthday last year. However, I couldn't figure out why Joanna had pulled it out. "The one for what?"

Joanna put the dress beside me on the bed. "For Rebecca's party tonight, she's having a... sort of "underground party". It will be mostly royals, of course. We are invited and we are going!"

"Why? So you can get laid for once?" I grinned.

Joanna shot me a glare and stuck out the tip of her tongue. "If someone needs to get laid it's you!"

I shot out with my hands. "I got laid at the last party!"

Joanna rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, with Michael Zeklos, I know that. Actually, no one missed that."

I shivered, not having any pleasant memories from that night. Michael Zeklos was attractive, but a party-guy of large amounts and enjoyed bragging about his girls and money. After four shots of tequila and almost three bottles of alcoholic cider, locking up in a room with him seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately, his drunken state made it rather hard for him to make it a memorable night for me. Considering that he fell asleep three seconds after he was done and wasn't in class the day after, I doubted that he remembered his mediocre achievement.

"I see that you don't have very good memories from that night, and that's why you need a better lover tonight!"

I shrugged my shoulders, not sure if I wanted to get naked with someone tonight. Joanna thought for a while.

"Lucas Badica is pretty hot", she suggested and started looking around in my closet again. I thought for a while. He was not ugly, but no one I found very attractive.

I shook my head. "He is not my type."

Joanna stopped searching through my closet and closed the door. "Well, we'll find one your type at the party. Since it will be mostly royals, it's going to be exclusive!"

I surrendered. "What time?" I asked.

"I'll come by at 5 and help you do your hair", she said and tossed her own hair over her shoulder.

* * *

Joanna and I started to walk to our class, which was on the opposite side of campus from our dorm. We were a little short on time, but she judged that she had time to visit the feeders first. I usually didn't bother about being a few minutes too late, but our teacher had threatened to lower our grade if we had any more late arrivals. It was not really worth it.

As we passed the door to the headmaster's office, the wooden door opened sharply. It hit the right side of my arm, probably creating a bruise on my bicep. I grimaced at the impact and stumbled to the side, dropping my books on the floor. I cursed lightly and sat down on my knees to gather them together. The stone floor felt uncomfortably cold through my thin stockings.

"Hey, watch your step!" Joanna lectured the one who had opened the door, who sat down to help me gather my books.

"I apologize", said a dark voice and someone sat down on my other side, helping me as well. "I did not think that someone would be on the other side of the door." The voice was pronounces with a thick Russian accent that emphasized the 'R's.

"It's okay, I was- -" I started and looked up. A pair of dark brown eyes met mine. It was a Dhampir guy with lightly tanned skin and dark stubble around his chin that was about a day old and went around his full lips. His black hair was pulled up in a short tail in his neck but a few streaks hung down to his cheek. I instantly recognized him; it was the same guy I had nodded to in the food court. I had thought that he looked good on that distance; but seeing him up close, he was strikingly attractive. That face could easily have been on the front page of a magazine.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded several times, suddenly unsure how to keep my voice steady. "Oh yes, I am fine. And you?"

His face softened and he gave me a light smile. It made him look even better. "I am good." He handed me my pencil, eraser and notebook. When I received them, his fingers gently brushed mine and a shiver spread from my fingers down to my stomach.

I smiled at him. "Thank you." I rose from my sitting position.

"Again, I apologize", the Dhampir guy said.

I shook my head. "No harm done, thank you for helping me", I said.

He nodded and took a step backwards. "It was the least I can do."

Joanna, who had kept her mouth quiet during the brief conversation, followed the guy with her gaze as he walked down the stone corridor and walked out through the main door. I also watched him walk away, admiring his height and muscular built.

As soon as he had vanished out the door, I exhaled and spoke with lowered voice to Joanna. "Did you see him?"

Joanna's voice was matter-of-factly when she answered. "Yes I did, I was right beside you."

"I saw him in the food court today, but I have never seen him in school before", I said and turned to Joanna. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I have, he transferred here less than a year ago. I haven't seen him hold a conversation with anyone and I didn't even know that he spoke English."

I raised my eyebrows in slight surprise. "Have you been watching him?"

Joanna laughed. "Me? No, no, no! I have heard everything from Vanessa; she thinks that he is hot."

"He wasn't unattractive", I admitted hesitantly. Joanna waved with her hand in front of my face.

"Don't go there, you shouldn't go for a Dhampir, you are too royal to even have a fling with a Dhampir", she said.

Now it was my turn to laugh spontaneously. "A fling? Christ, Joanna, I don't even know the guy!"

"Good! Besides, I have heard that he is a loner. Like, an antisocial guy who's out running all night, he's nothing for you."

"Where do you get all this from?" I laughed.

"I just told you! From Vanessa, she's practically stalking him! Come on now, I need to see the feeders before class!"

_Running all night, huh... _

* * *

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

The chilly November air bit the bare skin on my arm and neck. I was up at 14 laps around the running track, only one more to go before I was done. My muscles were warm and my legs almost burning after all the laps I had run so far. I inhaled through my nose, exhaled through my mouth. I watched the stars on the dark blue sky as I ran, contented that I was running in cold weather and not under a burning sun. When I passed the side of the track that was towards east, the massive building of St. Vladimir's Academy towered up and cast a tall shadow over the track.  
Most of the other novices preferred running inside at this time of the year, but I ran outside no matter what the season was.

Up until now, I had been the only one in sight at the running track, but now I noticed another figure in the rounded corner that was closest to the academy building. He or she stood completely still, just by my things I had dropped on the snowy ground.  
I finished my last lap and went to get my things.

The person by the track was a girl, probably my age. At a distance, I had thought she was another runner waiting for me to finish running so that she could run her laps. When I came closer, I saw that it was the Moroi girl I had bumped into after my visit with the Headmaster and whom I had nodded to in the food court. She was definitely not dressed for running; she was dressed in an expensive, blue dress ending just below her butt, a pair of high heels and white, thin leggings covering her long, already pale, legs.

"Isn't it cold?" she asked. I lifted my head and looked up at her, shrugging my shoulders, thinking that she would be even colder in that strapless dress and almost bare legs.

"A good excuse to keep running", I said, lifting my head to look at her face. She was carefully make-upped, with dark eye shadow on her eyelids, defining a pair of light blue eyes framed by long, black eyelashes. Her dark brown hair was arranged in an elegant knot in the back of her head with hairpins holding any loose ends away.

The corners of her glossy, pale pink lips twisted up in a smile. "True."

"Why are you out here?" I asked. The cold air was more noticeable now, started to give me goose bumps on my upper arms.

"I'm heading over to a party", she explained.

I nodded towards her dress. "That explains the dress." She nodded and her gaze slipped to the side, her hands rubbing her naked upper arms.

"You are royal, right?" I asked. The Moroi girl turned her head towards me again and nodded.

"Yes. Szelsky", she said. It was not a named I instantly recognized any members of, but I knew that it was a royal name.

"What more than Szelsky?" I asked. I was interested in knowing what her name was, wondering if it was as elegant and fair as her appearance.

Very professionally, she took a step forward and held out her hand. "Mirabel"

I took her hand and shook it. "Alexei Boyarov", I introduced myself.

"Are you from Russia?" Mirabel asked, even though I saw that it was already obvious to her.

I gave her a small smile and asked, rather ironically. "How could you tell?"

"Your accent", Mirabel responded with a smile, exposing a white line of smooth teeth. "And by your name"

"The accent is not easy to get rid of", I admitted.

Mirabel smiled again and nodded. I thought of something to answer, but anything that came to my head seemed forced and fake.

"I should go up and shower", I finally said, shivering slightly as a cold breeze of air swept over my skin. I got colder by the second and the sweat had started to dry in on my back and legs. "Have fun at the party."

"Thanks", Mirabel said as I passed her and headed up towards my dorm.

* * *

Standing in the shower in my room after the run, I was unable to get the images of Mirabel Szelsky out of my head. I had thought that she was pretty when I saw her in the food court; seeing her up close, she had been very appealing; seeing her in that dress and hairdo, she had been stunning.

Closing my eyes, I replayed our meeting in my head. The thought of the dark blue fabric hugging her waist, her long legs that seemed infinitive in those heels and the cleavage impressive for a Moroi made me excited - in a particular way.  
Her slightly awkwardness and blushing when I helped her with the books I knocked over had been adorable and I would have liked to talked more to her if her friend had not pulled her away from there.

When I came here, I had said to myself that making friends would not be a priority. Also, I had seen how the juniors and seniors acted here, and they were not really my type of company. I had also been partying, drinking and making-out at the academy in Russia, but I had a feeling that it would not be the same without my old friends.  
However, I really wanted to get to know Mirabel better. Something about her that I could not quite put my finger on intrigued me I was interesting in finding out what it was.

* * *

_Have a good weekend everyone!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	4. Chapter 4

**Four **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

My day started with a few hours of combat training with other senior novices under the surveillance of Guardian Rodriguez, a tall Dhampir guardian from Argentina. She was tanned and fit, with dark brown eyes seeing everything that happened in the room.  
The guy whose nose I cracked was back, although his nose was still patched together, swollen and flecked with small bruises in different colours. He had seemed to be avoiding me at all cost; something I could not blame him for.  
But to our luck, we were paired to each other at the end of the class.

"Hit my nose again and I will break your jaw", he grinned. His tone was light, but I sensed seriousness in his words. I hadn't thought that I would be regarded with friendliness after breaking his nose.

"I will try not to, I am very fond of my jaw", I replied.

I managed to avoid his nose, although I gave him a couple of uncomfortable hits in his stomach and on his ribs. After every blow, he looked more and more pissed.  
Attempting an uppercut in his stomach, he jumped aside, grabbing a hold of my wrist. He quickly twisted it to the side, turning my arm and elbow in an uncomfortable position. Something gleamed in his eyes, his lips pressed together and he let his closed fist fall against my wrist.

The force of the blow and the bent angle on my wrist was not a good combination and, with a loud crack, I heard my wrist snap. I groaned and bit my lip as the pain spread out to my fingertips and up to my shoulder. I glanced up at my opponent; he did not look the least remorseful.

Within a couple of seconds, Guardian Rodriguez was by us. "What happened here?"

My opponent shrugged his shoulders and I clutched my wrist. "I injured my wrist."

"Can you continue?"

I tried moving my wrist, but it only sent another wave of liquid pain up my arm. I shook my head. "No."

"Go to the doctor, let her take care of that", Guardian Rodriguez said and sent my opponent away to fight another student. I noticed his content smile as he looked at me over his shoulder.

"Cyka..." **(Bitch/Whore)** I mumbled quietly to my previous opponent and stepped off the training area. I grabbed my water bottle and headed towards the infirmary with my arm pressed against my torso. The pain was nothing more than a throbbing by now - as long as I kept it still.  
Doctor Olendzki, a woman in her late 40s or early 50s, made a quick examination and told me that it was, fortunately, not broken, but quite seriously sprained. To keep it in place to heal properly, she tightly fastened a wrist-supporter around it. The fastening was worse that than actual spraining, I had to bite my lip from not letting a stream of ugly words exit my mouth.

Afterwards, I went in the direction to the dorm. Tonight was going to be an uneventful night. I usually exercised in the evenings, but push-ups and hitting was out of the question for a couple of weeks.  
I was thinking about whether I should break my record in sit-ups or running when I spotted Mirabel outside the cafeteria. She had her face down her cell phone, probably writing a text, but looked up before I passed.

She gave me a wide smile. "Hi, Alexei!"

Her enthusiastic greeting made smile as well. "Hello, Mirabel."

Her eyes fell down to the wrist-securer I wore around my wrist. "What happened?"

"Someone tried to break it", I replied bitterly.

"I hope that you broke something of his in return", the corners of Mirabel's lips twisted into a smile. Even though I was mad for almost having my wrist broken, her smile made me relax.

"I did", I smiled. "Although it was a couple of days ago."

"Way to go", she said and tossed her phone into her bag. "Would you mind following me down to the feeders? I'd appreciate the company."

I was a little taken-aback by her request. Not that I would mind following her down, I just wasn't prepared for the question. "No, I would not mind."

Her smile widened and she flung her bag over her shoulder. "Thanks!"

* * *

Our way towards the feeder's room was silent, all that we could hear was the sound of our shoes against the stone floor. We only met two other people, both Moroi, that seemed to be heading back from the feeders.

"May I ask you a question?" I asked carefully. I wasn't usually shy to ask people questions, I didn't think that wanting to know things was embarrassing. However, wanting to know personal questions was always embarrassing.

"Of course", Mirabel nodded.

"It is a stupid question."

She chuckled. "I don't mind."

"Do you have a blood-type preference?" I asked.

She looked at me for a few silent seconds before bursting out in a laugh. To my surprise, I found myself rather compelled by her laugh. It was clear and light, sounded as if she did it completely without effort. I felt a desire to make her laugh again, just to hear that sound again.

"Wow, I have never gotten that question before!" She laughed, though her laugh seemed to be sincere and not ironical, and took a few seconds to consider her answer. "Now when I think about it, people with the blood type A-positive is a little sweeter than the rest. Why are you asking?"

She turned to me, smiling wide, and looked up at me below her eyelashes. Meeting her gaze, I noticed that she had an eye colour that resembled melted caramel. It knocked me off the topic for a moment, wondering how genetics could create such a rich and soft colour, but I recovered quickly.

"I have been curious if there is a difference", I admitted. "And I have never gotten the right opportunity to ask someone about it."

"You might as well have asked what kind of pizza I like the best", she chuckled.

I felt my cheeks heat up. I had asked a stupid question.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you!" she apologized and casually let her hand stoke my upper arm for a brief second. "Asking questions is how you get answers."

"Even when it is stupid questions like food preferences?"

She put her hand on the handle to the feeder's room, but stopped and looked at me for a second. Her face softened into another smile. "Even stupid questions like food preferences."

She opened the door to the feeder's room and headed straight for the reception where she registered her visit. I took a seat in one of the sofas in the waiting room and carefully placed my sprained hand on my stomach.  
As Mirabel vanished behind a screen, I picked out a worn pocket-book from the outside pocket of my training bag. The cover had faded a little and I had accidentally spilled coffee on it a few months ago. The almost every other page had marks of earlier folded corners and there was even some lose pages in the back of the book.

I believed that I read that book over and over again of sentimental reasons. _The Green Mile by Stephen King, _had been my mother's favourite book. When I inherited it, the book was already worn and read several times.

And after I read it for the first time, I really understood why she loved it.

Mirabel returned fifteen minutes later, discreetly wiping some blood from the corner of her lips with a white napkin.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" I asked, grinning lightly.

She grinned back. "Afraid not, she had blood-type O which I found far too bland for my taste."

"Is the difference that big?"

She shook her head. "No, they taste almost the same", she smiled. "However, I stand my ground. A-positive is a _little_ sweeter than the rest."

"Aren't you going to tell me your favourite pizza-topping as well?" I asked, remembering how she commented on that I might as well have asked for her favourite pizza when asking for her blood preferences.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Pineapple."

We exited the feeding cafeteria and walked towards the dorms, or at least so far we could walk until we needed to part ways. We walked in silence this time as well, for she didn't say anything and I couldn't figure out a clever and casual thing to ask.

What did I want to know about her?

_Everything. _

But I couldn't ask her to tell me everything about her life, I had to start somewhere.

"Ehm…" I began, far too soon since I hadn't yet figured out a decent question. "Where did you grow up?"

"About half an hour away from Court", Mirabel answered. "With a car, that is."

"And you grew up with your family?"

Mirabel nodded. "With my parents and a younger brother, he goes to school here while mom and dad are both working at Court. What about you?"

"I grew up on the academy, my mother died when I was young."

"I'm sorry to hear that", she said sincerely. "Do you have any siblings?"

I shook my head. "None that I know of, at least."

Mirabel hesitated a little before she asked the next questions. "And what about your father? Did you know him?"

I shook my head again. "No, most Dhampir's doesn't."

"Did... did he visit a lot when you were younger?" She twisted a little on the spot, not daring to look me in the eyes. I didn't even get mad that she assumed that my family was like the families of most Dhampirs; a Dhampir mother and an absent Moroi father. I hated to say and think that it was the way of our society, but I couldn't very well deny it.

"My mother was a Moroi and my father was a Dhampir. They dated in high school", I explained.

Mirabel's pale cheeks blushed bright pink. "Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to jump to conclusions like that", she said, lowering her head in an attempt to hide that she was ashamed.

"You do not need to apologize", I assured her.

"I have never met a Dhampir with a Moroi mother and a Dhampir father", she confessed. "You don't hear that a lot."

"Does that make me special?" I asked with a smile.

Mirabel returned it with an even brighter smile. "Perhaps."

We reached the end of the long corridor that divided into two, one leading up to the girls' dorm and the other leading up to the boys' room. I could have spent a while more walking around with her, she seemed very relaxed, friendly and she had been good company for the short time it took to follow her to the feeders and back. She didn't seem at stuck-up as her friends.

"Well, this is me", Mirabel said and nodded towards the corridor to the girls' dorm. "Thank you for the company."

"It was my pleasure", I smiled.

A little awkwardly, she reached up on her toes and gave me a hug, careful not to hurt my already injured hand.

"I'll see you around", she said before walking down towards the dorm door.

* * *

_I hope that you had a good weekend!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	5. Chapter 5

**Five **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_**December**_

The whole academy transformed at the prospect of Christmas. Not only was the old-fashioned building decorated with Christmas decorations, hollies and one or two occasional mistletoes in a corner or under a stone arch in the garden, but the student' mood lightened up the closer to vacation it got and also the teachers seemed to relax a little.

My combat teacher however, Guardian Rodriguez, had another idea in mind. She pushed us all the way into Christmas holiday with tough physical training and a demand that we don't relax too much during our holiday. Before the last class was even finished, a junior discreetly sneaked in and tapped Guardian Rodriguez on her shoulder. After quietly talking to her for a few seconds, my teacher called me over and told me that the headmaster wanted to see me.

Sweaty and slightly limping after a failed-aimed kick against a guy's thigh, I headed towards the headmaster's office with my bag over my shoulder. The corridors were empty and through the glass windows I saw a white landscape which now was thickening by more falling snow. Headmaster Alto had also decorated his office in a Christmas theme with red curtains and a small Christmas tree in the corner behind his desk. The door to the office was open and I could see him signing a stack of papers, but I still knocked.

"Come in, Mr Boyarov."

Before I stepped in, I did a quick and discreet check of my odour. Fair enough, I could not do anything about it now except for apologize for not being fresher.

"Headmaster Alto, I am sorry for showing up in this condition, but - -"

Headmaster Alto shook his head and put the papers away, leaning back in his chair. "No need to apologize, it is I who should apologize for pulling you from your training."

"Not a problem."

"Have you been thinking about the offer?"

I nodded. "I have, and if my teachers think that I will be ready for such a task then I shall try not to disappoint them."

"It is not them you need to impress and try not to disappoint. I told you that two very skilled guardians will test your competence before any decisions are made; it is them you are going to make an impact on."

"Then I will try my best not to disappoint them", I said.

Headmaster Alto looked up at me and actually gave me a light smile. "Honestly, Mr Boyarov, I think that your will do great. Your way of thinking and your devotion to the guardian career reminds me of what I see in the students with potential of becoming magnificent guardians when they graduate. And of what I have both heard and seen; those students are now the elite of the American guardians."

"Thank you."

"So, shall I get in contact with Guardian Hathaway and Guardian Belikov to tell them that you will be their novice?"

I nodded. "Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity."

I kept my face neutral, though I was practically jumping on the inside. Every novice's dream was to get a good assignment after graduation; the more important Moroi you guarded, the more it felt like you did an essential job. Becoming the guardian to the Queen's son… that was a great honour.

"You have done most of the work yourself." Headmaster Alto said before returning to his papers. I took that as my cue to leave.

* * *

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_

With a steady hand I finished the thin line above my left eye's eyelashes with liquid eyeliner. Me, Vanessa Badica and my distant relative Joanna stood in Vanessa's room to make ourselves ready for tonight's celebration. Tonight, on Christmas Eve, the school had arranged a fine dinner in the food court for the students who did not go home for the holiday. Neither I, Joanna and Vanessa were going home, simply because we'd rather wanted to party with our friends instead of eating ham with our stiff family members. I also, which I refused to admit to anyone, hoped to run into Alexei once or twice this Christmas.

"Bel, do you want to borrow this for tonight? It would look awesome on you", Vanessa turned from the closet and held up a red dress in front of her. I turned from the mirror; it was strapless evening dress that probably would reach my knees. Since I had simply grabbed something out of my own closet and already regretted my choice, I nodded.

"Sure, thanks", I said and turned back to the mirror to continue my carefully applied make-up. I had managed to get the exact amount of mascara on the brush which wouldn't leave lumps in my lashes and would throw something out the window if I messed up the eyeliner. I was not in the mood to re-do it.

"Do you think I can wear this one?" Vanessa pulled out another dress from her giant closet. I managed to only raise my eyebrows without saying something mean to her. The dress was barely even a dress, more a shirt. It was long enough to cover the area from her nipples to perhaps the middle of her butt. It was black and the top part was covered in gold glitter.

"Is that even a dress?" I asked.

Vanessa thought of my comment as a joke and laughed it away. "I usually don't wear clothes like this, but... tonight I want someone special to notice me." She bit her lip and put the dress on a chair to await second decision later.

"Who's the lucky guy?" I asked and gathered my entire load of make-up back into my bag. Joanna was curling her light brown hair in front of Vanessa's full-body mirror and was already dressed in a long, champagne coloured dress and was elegantly make upped. She had a slim belt around her waist that emphasised her Moroi slimness and the colour made her skin look rather washed out. She and Vanessa exchanged gazes and Joanna started to giggle.

"Not just any guy", Joanna teased. "A Dhampir!"

I froze, instantly remembering Joanna's words about Alexei a few weeks ago when I asked how she knew so much about him. _"I just told you! From Vanessa, she's practically stalking him!"_

Vanessa started laughing. "He is so hot! I'm really hoping to "get lucky" this Christmas." She winked at Joanne and they started laughing. Rather reluctant, I smiled lightly.

"Who is it? I don't think I know who it is", I asked. _Please don't say that it's Alexei..._

Vanessa picked up the skimpy dress again and held it up before her. "He's hot, quiet, foreign and incredible sexy", she said the last thing dreamily and turned to the side in the mirror. She tossed her blonde her over her shoulder and winked at her own reflection. Vanessa was prettier than anyone gave her credit for; honey blonde hair with golden streaks and big grey eyes. She was about an inch taller than me and also about an inch slimmer. Moroi were slim, almost like models; however, Vanessa was slim even for a Moroi.

"Is his name Alexei?" I asked, unable to wait for her to reveal his name.

Vanessa turned her head to me with a surprised look on her face. "You do know who he is!"

I shrugged my shoulders, pretending to be uninterested about the hot, sexy, foreign dhampir. "I have seen him around."

Vanessa started to dig in her closet and pulled out a small, black purse with a thin chain for a strap. "I have been checking him out for weeks now and I am sure that he has noticed me as well", she said proudly and started to change out of her pants and shirt. "Jo, you remember the appreciating nod he gave me when we passed him in the hallway the other day?"

Joanna nodded and turned the iron off. "Are you going to catch him alone tonight?"

"Hell yes! I am planning on bringing him back here after the dinner, so I am cleaning before I leave", Vanessa started to climb into the mini-dress she picked out. She pulled it up over her bra and pulled it down a little at the lower edge. Surprisingly, it covered her breasts almost completely and reached a little less than mid-thigh, it was not as skimpy as I first thought. She ruffled her hair a little and stepped away a little from the mirror to examine her figure. She gave herself a contented smile. I felt a slight pang of jealously; a nice pair of high heels to lift her long legs and a discreet make-up would make her irresistible to any guy.

_How could Alexei not notice her? How could he resist her? _

But I was also jealous and suspicious over that Vanessa seemed very confident about her chances with Alexei. Had I missed something between them or did she simply see every sign from him as a sign of interest? I wouldn't go as far as to say that he seemed interested in me, but he hadn't been unfriendly towards me. He'd seem interested in learning more about me, but was that a sign that he was hitting on _me?_

Well, I was not going to get any answers from Alexei now and I did not want to start a discussion about him with Vanessa, so I grabbed the red dress from the bed and started to change my clothes. The dress must have been a little large on Vanessa, because it fit me perfectly.

"You should keep it, it fits your perfectly", Vanessa said and helped me pull up the zipper in the back. She walked over to her regular purse and started to look through it.

"You wouldn't just give your dress away", I said and looked at myself in the mirror. It was slightly, slightly tight, but it hugged my body in an amazing way.

Vanessa shrugged her shoulders and threw a couple of condoms down in her little black purse. "I have more and it's too big for me."

I tried to ignore what I saw her put in her purse, I did not want to think about her and Alexei in bed. "Thank you, sweetheart", I said and gave her a smile.

* * *

We arrived to the food court about 10 minutes to six in the morning, or in the night for us since we ran on nocturnal schedule. As we peeked into the open doors, I was almost taken back by the sight, was this really our regular food court?  
A number of dressed Christmas trees lined one of the walls. The regular long tables were moved and divided into smaller tables haphazardly place all over the hall. All the tables had white cloths with snowflake patterns and several candles for light. The windows were decorated with hollies, red curtains, and paper snowflakes hanging from the curtains rods. The sky outside was pitch black and would not display a sunrise for another couple of hours.

Vanessa scanned the room placed for us to sit. "Oh there's Michael! I'll see if his table has place for three more!"

My phone started to ring in my purse; I felt the vibration through the fabric. As I picked it up, I read the rare words 'Mom' on the screen.

"I'll find you two later", I said distantly as I unlocked the screen. Vanessa nodded and started to walk over to the table in her high heels with Joanna right behind her.

I put the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, darling", my mother's familiar voice said in the other line. It was rare for her to call. Both she and dad were very busy with their work and certainly took their time between their phone calls to me.

"Hi, mom"

I heard the disappointment in her voice as she answered. "I can hear that you are not very happy about me calling."

"I'm a little surprised, you don't usually call."

Mom sighed in the other line. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Things have been busy here at court and I am generally bad at contacting people. I... I just wanted to call and wish you a merry Christmas."

I felt my face melt into a soft smile. "A merry Christmas to you too"

"Your Dad and I sent you a gift, but I don't think that it has arrived yet."

"No it hasn't, but thanks", I started to walk around in small, quiet circles. "How are you and Dad doing?"

"We are fine, and Leo was here last school break, too bad that you- - Yes, what is it, Vincent?"

My mother turned away from the phone and started to talk with my dad in the background. "Ariana, we need to leave now, or we will be late for the dinner."

"Are you two going out for dinner?" I asked when Mom returned to the phone.

"It's been too long since your father and I did anything like that. Take care, sweetheart. I love you", my mother said.

"I love you too, Mom", I mumbled and waited for the signal that she had disconnected the call. I put the phone back in my little purse actually felt a little happier that she had called. Ariana Szelsky had a spot in the council at the royal court and was almost always busy. When I got older and understood how much she worked, I was surprised that she managed to take the time off to birth me and Leo.

"Mirabel?"

I turned around to the mentioning of my name, said by a familiar voice with a very familiar accent that woke up small butterflies in my stomach. From what I could see in the dim lightning from the lamps on the wall, Alexei had also dressed up for Christmas dinner. Instead of his training clothes he wore a pair of amazingly well-fitting dark jeans and a light grey shirt that stretched slightly over his torso and he had folded up the sleeves to his elbows. On his left wrist, he still wore the wrist-securer after the incident with his combat partner. He even seemed to have spent a little extra time on his chin-length hair to arrange it in a nice bun in the back of his head.

"Wow you look good!" It slipped out before I managed to stop it, even though there was nothing wrong with giving him a compliment.

Alexei smiled and nodded towards me. "You look good as well, red suits you."

I felt my face heat up. "Thanks."

"Why are you staying here over Christmas? Do you not you want to go home and see your family?"

I lowered my head and shrugged my shoulders, trying to think of a good explanation instead of saying that I had stayed a school to see him. "I wanted to spent time with my friends before we graduate."

If he bought the explanation or not, he didn't comment further on it. He nodded towards the food court. "Have you picked a seat?"

"Vanessa and Joanna are saving a seat for me", I said. "Do you have anywhere to sit?"

Alexei shook his head.

"Then I'm sure we can find a seat for you at our table", I said. Alexei's lips pulled up into a small smile and he offered his arm to me, like a gentleman escorting a lady. When we entered the hall, I searched the room to spot where my friends had placed themselves. I spotted Vanessa's glittery dress seated at a table along the left wall from the entrance, sitting with Joanna, Michael Zeklos and two other guys I didn't recognize.  
When Vanessa saw who I brought to the table, she shone up and scooted to the side to make a space for Alexei to place an additional chair. Reluctantly, I sunk down on the only empty chair at the table, between Michael and Joanna.

* * *

_And there you have chapter five, there are flying some sweet sparkles between the two sweethearts of St. Vladimir's! I'll introduce Rose and Dimitri to the story soon :)_

_Another thanks to my wonderful Beta who edits my chapters faster than I would ever ask for :)_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	6. Chapter 6

**Six **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_**December, Christmas break**_

The school's Christmas dinner was the last place I wanted to be right now. Everyone at the table apart from Mirabel was unknown to me, all familiar but no one I had been introduced to earlier. When they all greeted me, the guys did it with a coldness that clearly told me that they were not enjoying having a dhampir at their "VIP-table". The dark haired girl that used to hang with Mirabel greeted me politely while the other one, a blonde Moroi, greeted me with a handshake and a look that made me feel unusually exposed. It almost felt as if she was undressing me with her eyes. She was practically undressed as well, wearing a glittery tube dress that barely reached mid-thigh and slipped down a little, giving everyone a clear view of her small cleavage.

The dinner would not have been so horrible if I'd had someone to converse with, no one apart from Mirabel and the blonde girl, Vanessa, felt that they needed or wanted to talk to me. I was not interested in talking to Vanessa; every time she spoke to me she touched either my arm or my thigh which I found very uncomfortable. Mirabel was a little too far away for me to speak to her, so I was only contented with looking at her.

As always, she looked spectacular. The red dress she wore made her slim Moroi figure seem curvier and brought out some red shades in her dark brown hair. She had a simple make-up that emphasized her features instead of ruining them, as many girls I saw managed to do. She constantly looked puzzled, as if she had something on her mind that she couldn't get rid of. She almost refused to meet anyone's gaze, no matter how much I tried to catch hers. Seriousness suited her; however, she was as most beautiful when she smiled.

When dinner was over, the tables were moved to make way for a type of dance floor. The blonde girl in the tube-dress, Vanessa, was talking to me, but I barely heard what she said. All I could hear was the sound of Mirabel's heels on the floor as she walked away. The small package containing a small bracelet immediately felt heavier in my pocket. It was a Christmas gift to Mirabel. I hadn't been able to go to a store and buy it; they didn't allow many trips to places outside campus during the semesters, so I had taken a little bit of a chance when I ordered it online. However, I was hoping that it looked as good on her as I had imagined it would.

Vanessa kept talking next to me, sensually touching my arm as she spoke but I couldn't hear anything she said. Apparently, my lack of interest in her attempt to hold a conversation was obvious. She playfully slapped my arm to get my attention.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked and turned my face towards her with her hand. I looked down on her, my expression must have told her that I wasn't. All I noticed was that her grey eyes were lined by too much eyeliner.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked.

Vanessa gave me a small smile and discreetly licked her lips. "I was asking if you wanted to have a beer, a drink or something like that."

I narrowed my eyebrows. "You can buy that here?"

Vanessa rolled her eyes and patted my cheek with a soft hand. She leaned up on her toes and spoke low close to my ear: "I have some on my room... secretly of course."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Mirabel rapidly walking towards the open doors leading out to the main hall. I followed her steps with my eyes as she vanished around the corner into the corridor leading to the dorm building.

"Excuse me", I said and gently pushed Vanessa aside. I hurried after her, hoping that I could catch her before I lost sight of her.

After turning down the same corner I had seen her round, I saw her at the end of the corridor. "Mirabel!"

She stopped, turned around and waited for me to catch up with her. When I reached her, I noticed a slight redness in the corner of her eyes. Had she been crying?

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Ehm... Back to my room, I'm not feeling very well", Mirabel said and waved with her hand. I had a feeling of that she was lying, but I didn't comment it.

"I... I have a gift for you!" I blurted out and started to dig in my pocket. I had planned on pulling her aside when everyone was dancing to give her this, but I guessed that being alone with her in a corridor would suffice.

Mirabel's stern face turned into a light expression on surprise. "You got me a Christmas present?"

I felt my heart rate speed up as I held the little wrapped box towards Mirabel. I was suddenly hit by the thought that she might not even have noticed me in the way I had noticed her. Sure, she had sought my company and hadn't hesitated in asking questions to find out more things about me…. But that didn't mean in any way that she _liked _me in that. Perhaps I had mistaken her friendliness for something more.

She smiled at me, a good sign at least, and slowly removed the wrapper. Opening the box, her eyes widened and she looked up at me.

"Really? For me?" She asked.

I nodded. "For you."

She picked the small bracelet up and held it up in front of her face. It was two slim silver chains, twisting around each other before connecting to a pinkynail-sized oval covered with small, white stones.

"It's beautiful", she breathed and held it out to me, then reaching her hand out to expose her wrist. "Can you help with the clasp?"

I took the bracelet, opening the clasp by separating the oval with the stones from the silver plate beneath it and clasped it together again around her wrist.

"It suits you perfectly", I smiled, confirming what I had thought in my head when I clicked the image on the Web store. It reminded me of her - pale, slim and delicate. I had never bought jewellery for a girl before, but this bracelet must have been made with Mirabel in thought. Besides, I enjoyed the thought of her wearing something that I had picked out.

Mirabel tore her gaze from the bracelet. "Thank you, Alexei."  
She leaned forward and slowly placer her arms around my neck in a hug. It took me only a fraction of a second to react by placing both my hands onto her warm waist that was beneath the soft material of her dress. Her chest was lightly pressed against mine and I could smell the mixture of her perfume and shampoo.

When she pulled back, far too soon, a light blush appeared onto her cheeks. "I didn't buy you anything for Christmas..."

I shook my head, still holding my hands on her waist. "I bought it because I thought that it suited you, not because I wanted something in return."

She didn't complain or contradict what I said; instead she looked down on the bracelet around her wrist. "No one has ever given me jewellery before", she admitted with a small smile.

"I hope I did not disappoint", I said, returning her smile. My heart rate had slowed down to normal pace, though it felt as if someone had heated up the blood pumping through it. Mirabel looked up at me from under her eyelashes. She slowly shook her head, making the loose locks of hair that had escaped her hairdo grace her cheeks. She quickly glanced to the side, down the corridor, and then leaned up on her tiptoes. She placed only one hand on my shoulder and stretched her neck to press her lips against mine.

It only lasted a second, two at the most, and I was so stuck by surprise that I barely had any time to react. Her lips were as soft as they looked and tasted of raspberry (probably from her lip gloss). After she sunk down back and pulled her head back, she moved her hand from my shoulder to gently stroke my neck.

"You certainly didn't", she assured me.

I was just about to answer, with another kiss if she allowed, when I heard another female voice calling from the other end of the corridor.

"_Alexei!" _

Mirabel and I quickly turned our heads to the source of the voice and saw Vanessa wave at us. "Come one, the dancing has started!"

Mirabel patted my shoulder and gave me a wide smile. "Have fun, party boy."

I sighed quietly and sent her a pleading gaze. "Save me?" I was not a dancer, far from it, and I hadn't planned on staying at the party after the dinner. Staying there without Mirabel being there? I might as well go to bed and sleep.

To my surprise, she nodded. "Go to your room, I'll cover for you."

She turned around and started to walk back down the corridor towards Vanessa. The sound from her heels touching the floor echoed in the empty hallway and I took the chance of fleeing through the door and headed back up to my room.

I was a fighter, a good fighter. I had quick reflexes and wasgood at knocking my opponents off balance. I was rarely caught by surprise.  
Yet almost everything that Mirabel did lately caught me by surprise which I hadn't recovered from until what she was doing was over. She had given me both a hug and a kiss within only a few seconds of each other. Neither time had I reacted with speed and precision as my body and mind possessed.

Whatever Mirabel did to me, I never seemed to be able to predict her. And to be honest, that frightened me a little. Still, this evening had turned out a lot better than I had expected.

* * *

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_

My head was almost spinning and my body still running on the adrenaline from my bold move of kissing Alexei as I walked towards Vanessa at the other end of the corridor. That might have been a very rash decision and it could have been something I would come to regret for the rest of the year. I didn't felt bad about it though. He hadn't pushed me away, but I hadn't kissed him long enough for him to respond to it either.

When I reached Vanessa, she threw her arms out. "Where were you two going?"

I pretended to play completely oblivious. "What? I have a headache, I was about to go up to my room and get an aspirin but I found one in my bag. I have no idea where he was going."

If Vanessa bought my lie or not she didn't show it. She gave up a sigh and pulled her fingers through all the fine layers of her blonde hair. "Fuck, I was just about to make a move!"

I swallowed. "A shame that he had other plans."

She sighed. "I know. And I wore my nicest pair of underwear today..."

I wasn't interested in hearing more about how she planned on seduce the more gorgeous dhampir walking on two legs. So I locked arms with her and walked back with her into the food hall. As she had said, the dance music blasted from the put-up speakers but the "dance floor" was practically empty. I sunk down on a chair at an empty table and started to tap my fingers against the table cloth.

_What kind of mess had I put myself in? _  
It was common for Moroi men to have relationship with dhampir women, which usually resulted in children that continued the dhampir race. Moroi women fooling around with dhampir men were almost unheard of. Though I didn't know if it was unheard of because it barely ever occurred or because no one liked to talk about it.

But I was a teenager! Teenagers did stupid and reckless stuff all the time that didn't follow them through their life. If I had a short but sweet (intimate) relationship with a dhampir in my last year in high school, who would bother to remember that in 10 or 15 years? When I got a job and found myself a Moroi man to marry, no one would remember this if it ever came out. I will had been a foolish teenager that once enjoyed the company of a dhampir man, I was hardly the first.

There was only one semester left until I graduated, I planned on enjoying it completely.

* * *

_Love is in the aaaair! _

_Have a good weekend everyone!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_**March, Spring break**_

When school took a short leisure time for spring break, I travelled to the Royal Court in Pennsylvania for my tests and training by two of the guardians to the King and Queen. From the information I had gotten so far, I could train in the combat rooms as often as I wished, either alone or with someone to train with. The two royal guardians that Headmaster Alto mentioned would take as much time as they could spare to judge my abilities. The rest of the time I was free to do whatever I wanted.

I pulled my fingers through my hair, registering the odd and unfamiliar feeling of my hair being cut short. I had asked Mirabel to help me cut it, a task that she had performed very well. I had grown my hair out in the first place because I was too lazy to cut it, or perhaps because I didn't trust anyone to do it while I lived in Russia. It wasn't short-short now, I could still run my fingers through it, and I had a feeling that it will be a lot more comfortable than having to brush hair that escaped my bun away from my face while I trained with the Royal guardians.

I leaned the back of my head against the flight chair, I exhaled slowly, closed my eyes and listened to the even, rumbling sound from the plane's engine and propellers. Escaping school during the holiday was both a relief and a pity. The relationship between me and Mirabel had been both amazing and complicated; we had taken every moment we could to sneak a kiss without anyone noticing. We didn't want to display our relationship, not many would accept a Moroi-Dhampir couple even if it was in high school.

But god, keeping it a secret was hard! I thought that I had a good self-control, I thought that I could handle anger, sorrow and other feelings when there were other people around. But with Mirabel, I could not control anything. Or rather, I did not want to control myself. I could barely put my hands on the fine curves of her hips before I sensed the arousal rise in me. To my embarrassment, I was sure that she could feel my arousal as well…

Only thinking of her, the flowery scent of her hair and the softness of her warm skin that I either pressed my lips against or touched with my palms, rose the arousal in me. I shook my head to erase the pictures of her in my head, now was not the time to think about them, and began to recite all the Russian saints I remembered from school in my head. _That ought to do it. _

I landed at the airport in Philadelphia and rented a taxi that I took me the Ponoco Mountains where the Royal Court was currently residing. I knew that Court, for human eyes, was disguised as an academic institution and the cab driver seemed to buy my explanation that I was a foreign exchange student that enjoyed to listen to physicists and chemists on my spring break. Arriving at the gates to Court, a man was waiting for me outside of them. He was in his early 30's with sandy-blonde, short cut hair and the muscular built that every dhampir had. In the chilly early March weather he wore jeans and a shirt, but with a thick hoodie over it. In a belt tied around his waist, though concealed by his hoodie, he had the mandatory silver stake and a gun.

As I approached, he gave me a friendly smile and reached out his hand. "Mr. Boyarov, I presume? Guardian Eddie Castile, it is nice to meet you."

I shook his hand. "It is nice to meet you as well, Guardian Castile."

He made a gesture with his hand towards the Royal Court. It was all located behind the safety and protection of durable wards in a secluded area of Pennsylvania. It was the most important location in the whole vampire world as all the laws were established here. Also, it was the resident of the Monarch and her family.

It was like its own small, secluded city, completely sheltered from the outside world. In many ways, it reminded me of Kremlin in Moscow or images I had seen of the Tower of London. Strong walls, and wards in Court's case, surrounding the heart of a whole civilization.

The court itself was a collection of Gothic buildings, beautiful and ornate, spread across well-tended grounds adorned with trees and flowers that must take hours to tend. Though now it was all covered in a fine layer of snow. It is a known fact that Court, though its primary purpose was to establish all the important things as laws and decisions important for the Moroi society, was also a great entertaining location, housing many residential areas, shops, restaurants and much more. The court even had its own landing strip for airplanes.

"Is this your first visit to Court?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I arrived to America less than a year ago."

"Your English is very good."

"Thank you", I said. "Have you always worked here at Court?"

"No, only a few years. After my graduation I spend a few years in Palm Springs in California guarding Princess Dragomir, it was before the new Law of Successions passed, until the danger was over and she could return here and attend university."

I had heard about the mission when the Dragomir Princess, Jillian, was hidden away in California to save her from people that wanted hear dead in order to throw her sister, Queen Vasilisa, off the throne. The mission was rather notorious, I had heard about it when I was in Russia due to the importance of it. Many had been relieved when the Law of Successions passed and she could return without fearing for her life.

"Are you not with her?" I asked, assuming that he still was her guardian since he had that position in Palm Springs.

Guardian Castile smiled at me. "I am. All schools are closed for spring break, she is here visiting the Queen."

I nodded, noting that I should have known that. "Of course."

Guardian Castile gave me a very brief explanation to what all the many buildings that we could see contained as we headed towards one of the residential buildings. I doubted that I would be able to remember what they were, but I wasn't here to learn _all _the buildings yet. As long as I found the way from my room to where I would train and to some sort of cafeteria I would be fine.

The residential building reminded me of a hotel, a very nice hotel. The entrance opened up to a shiny reception desk with a tall, blonde Moroi standing behind it. A wide staircase led up to the first of the four floors of apartments, every apartment supposedly decorated to fit the standards of any Royal Moroi.

"Hi Caroline, Mr. Boyarov here has been promised a guest room", Guardian Castle smiled to the receptionist. She entered something into the computer and turned around to grab a key from a small cabinet hanging on the wall.

She handed the key to me with a smile. "Please return it to me, or another receptionist, when you leave, okay?"

I nodded again, putting the key inside my jacket pocket. "I will."

When Guardian Castile had assured himself that I was all set and didn't have any additional questions, he held out his hand to me and wished me the best of luck with everything. I sincerely thanked him for taking his time guiding me all the way to my residence before I headed up the stairs to my room.

Opening the door to the guest room, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful decorating of it. Cream-coloured walls, dark wooden floor with a large oriental carpet on top of it and an adjoining bathroom with both a shower and a bathtub. The room had a wide bed, practically a double-bed, a several paintings on the walls along with a large mirror and an old-fashioned chest-of-drawer.

I had never been in a real hotel before, but I almost felt as if I was in on right now.

I dropped my bag on the floor, planning on unpack it a little later, and eyed the wide bed. It looked _very _comfortable. I made a short jump, aiming for the coffee-coloured bedspread, and landed back-first on the fluffy duvet and the soft mattress.

I let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes and adjusted my position on the bed. I wasn't planning on lying there for very long; however, the longer I stayed on the bed I felt my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. It couldn't have taken more than a few minutes before I was sound asleep.

* * *

I awoke with a start four hours later. The sky outside the window had begun to light up, though the sunrise hadn't begun to rise yet. It was 6 o'clock and my stomach rumbled with hunger. I hadn't eaten since the plane trip, which had arrived to court in the early afternoon. I couldn't remember if I had seen any place where I could get food, but there must be some place at Court where a hungry lad could get something to eat.

Caroline at the reception was kind enough to give me a Court map with directions to the mall/restaurant area, preventing me from wandering around until I died of starvation. Luckily for me, it wasn't very hard with the right directions.  
The mall was filled with people, many older Moroi but also younger men and women that might be visiting family over spring break. The loud murmuring of the crowds made me slightly uneasy, I wasn't overly fond of large crowds, but I forced myself to relax. Court was one of the most protected areas in the entire world for Moroi. I had no reason to be on my watch; I had no Moroi to guard and there was a very small chance that any Strigoi would pass though the protective walls.

An Asian restaurant's red board caught my gaze and I rapidly steered my steps towards it. Asian food had never sounded more perfect right now. Actually… any kind of food sounded perfect right now. I took a seat at a table close to the arches that separated the restaurant's front wall from the rest of the mall.

The restaurant wasn't very crowded, the pizza place two shops down seemed more popular tonight, and not even half of the tables were occupied. A couple gazing into each other's eyes across a lit tea-light sat two tables away from me, two Moroi women shared a plate of fried shrimps in the corner and two other women seemed to have a silent conversation over a small glass of wine each. I had never met those two women in my life, yet I instantly recognized them.

The delicate Moroi woman, with platinum-blonde hair shining like the moonlight itself, wasn't a woman that one just passed without acknowledging. Not only did she move with grace, she even sipped on her white wine with a stunning elegance that would make any other Queen jealous, but she also owned a sense of charisma and grandness that automatically made gazes turn towards her. I almost felt an urge to rise and get down on one knee before her.

Not that it surprised me, I doubted that there was a Moroi, Dhampir or Strigoi in this world that hadn't seen her face somewhere. She didn't need a crown or a tiara to be recognized; _Queen Vasilisa. _

That meant, although I might have been able to figure that out sooner or later, that the tanned and dark-haired Dhampir woman across her that was devouring a plate of fried rice and sweet-and-sour chicken as if she hadn't seen food for a week was her famous guardian; _Rose Hathaway._

Guardian Hathaway was a legend, a legend very alive and not soon to be forgotten. Her skills, her background, her experience; all of that made her a passionate protector to the Queen – and her best friend – and the most famous guardian before she even turned 20.

I sat at perplexed for a couple of seconds, not able to tear my gaze away from two of the most recognizable people in the Moroi world. I suddenly started to get nervous. When headmaster Alto had mentioned the first time that I would be training with Rosemarie Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov, I had thought of it as a great chance to test my skills with two of the world's most famous guardians. However, I hadn't braced myself for the impact of what actually seeing one of them up-close would be.

There wasn't much to say about that experience, apart from my head being completely blank. The thought of testing my skills against Guardian Hathaway and Guardian Belikov now frightened me more than it excited me. I wasn't close to matching their skills in any way, even Guardian Hathaway while she was tired and drunk could probably defeat me. I would most likely have to face the fact that I might not be as good as I think I am.

However, after about half a minute of staring and at least two sceptical gazes from Guardian Hathaway, I forced myself to look away. I didn't want her to remember me when we met at the training hall tomorrow as the creepy guy who stared at her at the restaurant. They say that the first impression of someone never changes, and I didn't want "creepy restaurant guy" to be the first impression Guardian Hathaway had of me.

Luckily, I got something else to focus on when my food arrived. Hungrily, and without bothering trying to figure out how to use chop sticks, I grabbed my fork and began to eat.

* * *

_Sorry for the little late update, I believed that I planned to update every weekend :) I hope that you enjoy the chapter and Rose and Lissa are officially introduced in this chapter. _

_I just wanted to add that Rose, Dimitri, Lisa ect ect will not appear a lot in this story. I an planning somewhat of a sequel that will circle around them and their future :)  
_

_I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight **

_**Rose Hathaway-Belikova**_

The alarm on my bedside table set off at 05:30 and abruptly woke me from my sleep. Between the small gaps in the night curtains, I could see that she sky outside was still dark or perhaps close to sunrise. Sitting up, I remembered that I had had a wonderful dream though I couldn't remember what it had been about. I pulled my fingers though my tangled hair, it probably looked like a bird's nest. Beside me, Dimitri was still snoring softly, sprawled out on his stomach with one arm hanging over the edge of the bed.

Smiling softly at him, I vanished under the duvet and crawled up to his warm body, pressing my naked body against his. I pressed my lips against his shoulders, kissing my way up to his neck before attacking the side of his face that was not resting on his pillow. He jerked slightly and lifted his head, looking around a little disoriented.

I smiled wider. "Good morning."

Dimitri's let his head fall back onto the pillow, though he rolled around onto his back and slid his arms around me.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" I grinned. I could immediately see when he had had slept deeply though the night. Normally, he was on alert 24 hours day; not even relaxing fully when he slept.

Dimitri nodded and nuzzled his nose the nape of my neck, sliding one hand down from my back to rest against my naked hip. I could feel him smile against my skin as he spoke. "I have, someone wore me out last night."

"I regret nothing", I said casually and rolled off him, though remaining closely pressed against his side.

"What's the time?" Dimitri asked, voice still drowsy from sleep.

"Five-thirty", I informed him. "We are meeting with the student from St. Vladimir's at seven."

Dimitri narrowed his eyebrows and glanced at me. "So why did you wake me up so early? Why are _you_ not sleeping?"

I leaned down, kissing him softly on his lips. "I was thinking a long shower and a proper breakfast."

"Oh", Dimitri smiled, pressing my head down with his hand behind my neck to get another kiss. "No coffee and bagel to-go today?"

"Got to keep my strength up, comrade", I said and rolled away from him, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. Our clothes from last night were randomly spread out over the room, we had managed to toss them around fairly good last night judging by Dimitri's shirt on the third shelf of the bookcase and my bra hanging from the floor lamp in the corner next to our bed.

Like the rest of the guardians working at court, Dimitri and I had our own apartment in the Guardian Housing Complex. It wasn't very large, hardly larger than a shared double-room at St. Vladimir's, though it had a decent kitchen, a bathroom with both a shower and a tub, a bedroom and something that could be used for a small living room.

* * *

After showering and blow-drying my hair, Dimitri stayed a couple of more minutes in the shower, I opened the closet and picked out my regular training clothes. A normal day I would have worn my uniform, though not when I was going to examine and fight a young novice to see if he would be good enough for Lissa's son.

"Have I said how beautiful you look in those clothes?" Dimitri's voice asked from behind me. I spun around, my hair busy with putting my hair up in a bun. He was leaning against the door frame with only a towel around his hips. He was too good looking to be legal. I regretting putting my clothes on, I could give up a little of my breakfast to spend 15-20 minutes in bed again.

"Yes", I smiled. "Many times."

"I cannot tell you enough times", he said. I felt my chest warm up, my right hand immediately reaching out to twist the wedding ring on my fourth finger. That had grown to be a habit after almost six years of marriage. I had legally changed my name to Hathaway-Belikova, but the "Hathaway-stamp" had been difficult to get rid of among everyone else. I practically went by Hathaway during work and Belikov during my private time.

I walked up to him and kissed him lightly, sliding my hands over his naked torso. "I love you."

"I love you too", he mumbled.

Though I had been reluctant towards marriage for many years, tying the knot with Dimitri had been the best thing I had ever done in my life. We had always been the dream-team among the guardians as we complimented each other during fights. We got married in Russia, my dad had been there, though my mother had politely declined to witness due to her work so we decided that we let the family members' available witness, with all of Dimitri's family present. Lissa had taken a few days off, if she legally could do that as Queen, and let Christian rule during the days she went with us to Russia.

Upon our return to court, many wrinkled their noses when hearing about our marriage. Guardians didn't get married, especially not to each other. It had taken a few months, actually it had taken almost up to a year, before everyone started to realize that our marriage would not affect our work. In all honesty, we had almost gotten better at our work. Being married was another thing than just being together; we lived for each other but we primary lived for protecting Lissa and Christian.

It I hadn't married Dimitri and he'd die before I had time to change my mind, I had a feeling that I would regret that for the rest of my life. I loved Dimitri more than anything and I knew that he had wanted to marry me long before I actually accepted one of his proposals (He'd made several, rather none-serious proposals that I had joked away before I was finally ready to say yes. Then, he had given me a real proposal with a ring and all). It would kill me if he died and I had been too scared, selfish and stubborn to let him have one of his biggest dreams. We were promised to each other, legally and spiritually, until death did us part.

"You need to hurry up", I pointed up, glancing at the clock. "Or I will have to take that damn bagel to-go."

* * *

A few minutes before 7 o'clock, Dimitri and I crossed the grass field and headed towards the building dedicated to keep guardians fit and in shape with their fighting techniques. It didn't formally have a name so everyone kept calling it the Guardian Hall.

At this time on a Tuesday, the Hall was fairly occupied. Normally, guardians were at their busiest on weekends and evenings when their assignments had more free time. Guardians living and working at court had more free time than others since the Royal Moroi here were very well-protected.

There was already someone in the hall, I could hear the subdued and familiar sounds of fists hitting a punching bag through the door.

"So how are we going to do this?" I asked. "We launch at him one at the time and see how good he is?"

Dimitri glanced at me with a small and crooked smile. "I do not have a better idea."

I opened the door and tossed my bag to the ground by the door. The hitting against the punching bag stopped as he noticed the thump. The training room at the Guardian Hall smelled, rather uncomfortably, of ingrained sweat and the smell of new, leathery equipment.

"Mr. Bovaroy, I assume?" I asked, rolling my sleeves up on my shirt as the young man focused his attention from the equipment to us. He was dressed in regular training clothes; sweatpants and black hoodie with a large text in Cyrillic across the front.

"Boyarov", Dimitri corrected me with a discreet clearing of his throat.

"Mr. Boyarov", I corrected myself. _Damn, why didn't I take time to learn to pronounce his name before I spoke? _

The guy stepped away from the punching bag and walked up to us, his eyes large with awe and astonishment. He was way taller than me, towering over me as he looked at me as if I was a wonder from another world. He held out his hand to both of us and shook our hands with a firm grip.

"Guardian Hathaway, Guardian Belikov, I am honored to meet you", he said. His Russian accent was far stronger than Dimitri's had ever been. And I had to admit, despite my eternal love for Dimitri and our binding promises of ever-lasting marriage, that the man was good-looking. He was a decade younger than me, only 19 years old, with a very distinguished and strong jaw and high cheekbones. Low eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes made him look fierce yet still composed. The expression reminded me of the changes in faces in Dimitri when he was calm and when he was in a fight.

The novice walked aside to the benches where he had placed his things and removed his hoodie with a swift movement. Below the hoodie, his tank top revealed broad shoulders and defined muscles. He looked strong, but the size of his muscles didn't look as if they would interfere with his speed and flexibility. Physically, he was the idealistic guardian.

I glanced at Dimitri. "Who will go first?"

"I will", Dimitri said and took his own hoodie off. The two men took their places in front of each other in the middle of the training floor, keeping their eyes locked as if they were predators trying to find the precise and best moment to strike.

The novice began the fight. He launched towards Dimitri, a little sloppily I might add, but didn't try to hit or grab him. When Dimitri jumped aside, so did he. For a few minutes, I found the fighting dance odd; the novice launched, jumped aside and spun. He didn't make any attempt to a serious attack.

Then again, neither did Dimitri. He didn't do any unnecessary launchings, but he didn't attack either. He remained passive and patient, waiting for the novice to make the first move. I knew him, I knew his fighting style and his hidden signs. Hell, he had been the one who taught me everything I knew. Also, I knew that we were here to test the novice. However, it seemed as if the novice was also testing Dimitri.

Suddenly, the novice attacked and Dimitri tried to grab him as he came closer. But the novice changed his height by bending his knees, lowering down and rammed his shoulder into Dimitri's solar plexus. Dimitri coughed as the air abruptly left his lungs and he staggered back several steps. Proudly, the novice straightened his back and rose his fists in an attempt to take his opponent down before he could recover. Just as he was about to deliver a hit to Dimitri's head, Dimitri straightened up as if he hadn't been hit at all blocked his attack, returning the favor with a fist to his ribs. The novice lost concentration and balance, twisting to the side in pain, and Dimitri took the chance to kick his legs aside. With a slightly surprised yelp, he slammed back-first onto the floor and Dimitri was rapidly pressing one knee below his breastbone and slammed his palm against his chest as an indication that he staked him.

As Dimitri offered his hand to help the novice up, they exchanged a few short sentences in Russian. I couldn't understand what they said, even after this many years with a Russian I still only knew how to hold a basic conversation, but on the novice's observing face and Dimitri's pedagogical hand gestures, I'd say that he was giving him some feedback. They went their separate ways, the novice to have a few gulps of water and Dimitri to talk to me.

"What did you say to him?" I whispered.

"I only told him what he could have done better, he is very nervous", Dimitri explained. I snuck a peak at the young man; he was pacing back and forth while taking small gulps of water from his bottle.

"Did you also give him tips how to beat me?" I asked with a grin.

Dimitri caught my chin, returned the crooked smile and spoke close to my ear, in a voice low enough for only us to hear the words. "I want to be the only man to get you down on your back."

Still smiling, I reassured that my bun was still intact and took my place in front of the novice. He instantly scrutinized me from head to toe with the same looks of a predator he had given Dimitri. He didn't make any fake attacks this time; he immediately launched at me, trying to get a grip of some part of my body. I ducked, spun around and tried to reach his back. Rapidly, he spun to face me, blocking my kick towards his lower leg and my circular blow to his head. He pushed my arm away, grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm up to an uncomfortable position.

_My god, _the kid didn't look it, but he was strong as an ox. It didn't seem as if he put a lot of effort into the single movement, but it felt as if he could twist my arm out of its socket with a single and simple twist.

He pulled my arm towards him, snaking his other arm around my throat and locked my back against his torso.  
Stepping aside, although it tightened his grip around my throat, I jammed my elbow into his stomach. I aimed for his solar plexus, though I think I missed at hit the right ride of his ribcage. It worked though, he flinched and loosened his grip around my neck just enough for me to slip through. He tried to grab me again, but with me still holding a good grip around his arm I stepped forward, pushing him backwards, and put my foot behind his feet. He tripped backwards and lost balance.

It wasn't really taking down a Strigoi. Had he been one, I would have finished him off long ago. Fighting another guardian, or soon-to-be guardian, was different than from fighting a Strigoi. However, he hadn't been bad.

"Good work, Mr. Boyarov", I said, slightly out of breath after the fight. I stepped off the training floor and grabbed my water bottle, empting half of its content into my mouth. Dimitri had another rapid conversation with the novice in Russian.

"What do you think?" Dimitri asked after the novice had left the room and the door had closed behind him.

"Not bad", I admitted. "Not amazing but definitely not bad."

"Good enough to guard Lucas after graduation?"

I hesitated. Lissa's and Christian's oldest son Lucas was four years old, his guardians wouldn't be very occupied until he grew into adolescence or young adulthood. During that time, young Mr. Boyarov would have plenty of time to practice with other more experienced guardians to maintain his skills.

"Yes, good enough for that. Unless he will fit better in a more active assignment", I said. "Guarding a four-year-old might seem very dull for a new graduate."

Dimitri gave me a light smile and pulled me into his arm, placing a light kiss on my cheek. "I have a feeling that he would see it as a great honor to be a guardian to the prince, despite the lack of action."

* * *

_I just realized that I didn't update this weekend, it completely slipped my mind! However, I will update today for a small treat before the weekend :) _

_Also, this was the first chapter with Rose and Dimitri! :)_

_Hope that you all have a nice weekend!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine **

_**Dimitri Belikov**_

_I am walking in a small garden, a wonderful garden with flowering bushes and green grass surrounding the paving. Despite the darkness, the paved walk is lit up as if the full moon was shining, even though I don't see one on the evening sky._

_A light laugh compels me to turn around just in time to see a pale Moroi figure vanish behind a stone column. She peaks her head forward, exposing a light complexioned face and an eye the same colour as melted caramel. _

_She laughs again, behind me this time, and I do not have time to turn around before I feel her jump up on my back, her slim arms around my neck and her thighs pressing against my hips. Her silky, black hair falls over my shoulders and tickles my chin. _

"_Ya poymal tebya, Dimi", __**(I caught you, Dimi)**__ She whispers in my ear, a faint scent of a raspberry lip-gloss from her lips reaches my nose. _

_I hear myself chuckle. "Da, vy sdelali", __**(Yes, you did) **__I say and let go of her legs, turning around to face her. She has already turned her back to me, running down the pavement with her hair flying behind her. I set of after her, reaching my hand out to grab her. _

"_Nina!" I call after her, but she does not turn around. By the large column she earlier vanished behind, she turns her head and gives me a vibrant smile. She waves at me to follow her, her lips forming words but no sound comes out._

_She vanishes into a wooden door placed between two of the stone columns. Carefully, she opens the door by pressing her palm against the surface. A warm light shines out from gap in the door, colouring Nina's black hair more dark brown. Her tall frame shrinks before my eyes, her hips and shoulders grows broader and curvier. _

_She turns around, fully around this time, allowing me to get a good look on her face. There is no mistake in those fierce eyes, those curved lips and the thick mane of hair that I love to run my fingers through._

Rose.

_Her eyebrows narrow in worry and she opens her mouth to speak. When she cannot say what is on her mind, she raises her arms and turns my attention from her to the hallway. _

_Inside the newly build house, the walls are painted in blood. Blood-splatter from several dead bodies are haphazardly spread out over the hallway and the living room, blood has also spotted the cream white walls with dark stains that pours down the wall like tears of blood. Rose turns to me again, tears beginning to form in her eyes. _

"_What happened here, Dimitri?" she asks. _

_I can only shake my head, not knowing how to answer. Rose steps away from me, stops in the middle of the living room with her back to me. Her posture suddenly turns stiff and tense, her fists tightly closing against her thighs. I walk up to her, sliding one arm around her waist and the other one across her chest and draw her against my torso, protecting her. _

"_Why did she have to die?" Rose suddenly asks, nodding towards the floor. _

"_Who is dead? I ask, narrowing my eyebrows. I try to make her look me in the eyes, but her gaze is not on me. She looks at something a few inches to the left of us, by our feet. _

_I slowly glance down, though fearing for what I may see. A woman lies on the floor by our feet, splayed out on her back in front of the TV. Her throat is ripped, blood covering her neck and down on her chest making it look as if she wears an abnormal necklace. Her black hair has spilled out around her head, mixing with the blood. _

_I look twice at her before I realize who I am looking down on. In my veins, my blood slowly freezes. _

Nina.

_I had seen her only minutes ago. She had been alive and well, laughing and smiling. I feel an urge to kneel beside her to see if she is alive, but I already know that she is not. She had been dead for a long time.  
I turn to Rose again, feeling an urge to kiss her to sooth my racing heart. However, as I turn towards her, she is no longer standing in front of me. She is also on the floor, her dark brown hair also spilling out over the floor, her eyes are also cold and empty like a doll's. Her throat also ripped open. _

_Abruptly, a rapid movement to my left makes me tear my gaze from my beloved wife on the floor. I barely have the time to look at my attacker before the Strigoi roughly buries his fingers into my throat and rips it out. _

I awoke with a jerk, my heart beating rapidly and hard in my ribcage. A thin sheet of sweat covered my back and chest, as well as my neck and forehead. At first, I couldn't comprehend my surroundings. I still saw the spots of blood on the walls and the dried pools on the floor. Then, as I realized that I was in mine and Rose's bedroom at court, the blood began to fade away from the walls and I couldn't see anything abnormal in the dim bedroom. I began to calm down, my breathing returning more and more to normal. Beside me, Rose groaned lightly and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"What's wrong, Dimitri?" she yawned.

I rubbed my hands against my face and blinked a couple of times to get rid of the sleepiness. "A nightmare."

Rose sat up, her hair ruffed from her constant tossing and turning in her sleep, and put her hand on my back. "You are covered in sweat", she commented.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to get rid of the pictures of the bloody house out of my head. "It was just a nightmare..."

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Rose leaned her head on my shoulder and the quick jerks of her head revealed that she seemed to be close to falling asleep again. I shot a glance at the clock, 03:56 pm.

I shook my head and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "No, we should go back to sleep."

Without complaint, probably because she was too tired, she lay down again and snuggled close to me, putting her arm across my torso. I folded my arms around her, closing my eyes in an attempt to sleep. It didn't work, I was wide awake.

Why had I dreamt about the Badica Massacre? Why had Nina been in my dream? I hadn't seen, spoken or even thought about her for over 20 years. We had a brief relationship the last semester in high school, before we graduated, which we called off mutually as soon as we both left the Academy.

_What had made me dream about her?_

I lifted my hand, trying to see how much my hand trembled in the dim light in the bedroom. I felt cold, as if I had been outside in a chilly weather for too long. Dreaming about my ex-girlfriend hadn't frightened me, it had just been odd and unexpected. My fears had been awoken by seeing Rose as one of the victims at the massacre. Only seeing her in that house on that day along with the rest of the corpses had frightened me. What if there had been Strigoi still lurking in the house?  
Dreaming about her being one of the victims… I never wanted to see that image before my eyes again.

What had been uncomfortable with the dream though, apart from Rose's intervention, was that it didn't feel entirely like a dream.

A part of it felt as if they were memories.

I lightly kissed Rose's forehead, hugging her tighter. She sighed lightly in her sleep, moving her head a little against my chest. Holding her in my arms made me feel better, more secure. She was here with me, not a victim of a group of Strigoi. She was in my arms where she was supposed to be.

I closed my eyes and tried to pick out happier memories to focus on instead of my nasty dream. After perhaps half an hour, I felt my body relax as I began to doze off. I feel asleep without any trouble or frightening images, though I feel asleep with a lightly uneasy feeling in my stomach that what I head dreamt about was a part of my own memories.

* * *

The following morning, I asked Rose to train the novice, Alexei, by herself. I made up an excuse that I had some other business to do. I hated keeping things from her, I would have to apologize later and tell her what I had been doing. I had purposely made it sound like as if it was guardian business, although they were entirely personal. But before I did that, I wanted to confirm or discard my suspicions.

After kissing Rose goodbye, I went in the opposite direction and headed down the stairs to the underground archives. The archives were heavily protected, some files contained very sensitive information while others were simply records of old events. I swiped my card though the reader and pushed the thick door open, only to enter into a smaller room before I would reach the actual Moroi archives. It wasn't a very welcoming room, cold grey walls behind the guard's desk and several monitoring screens on the wall on the opposite side.

Guardian Johnson was on duty tonight, resting in his armchair by the desk with a football magazine in front of his face. When he heard the door open, he rapidly put the magazine and his feet down.

"Guardian Belikov", he greeted me and smoothed his hair down. Guardian Johnson was a rather young man, in his late 20's, though injured his leg a few months ago and limped so badly that he couldn't work in the field. The poor lad had been assigned the attendant of the archives instead.

"Guardian Johnson", I greeted him back and shook his hand. "I would like access to the archives."

"Of course, of course", he said without hesitation and swiped his card through the reader into the archives. He didn't ask what I needed in the archives and I was strangely grateful for that. Guardian business wasn't always allowed to be explained, so in a way I wasn't surprised that he didn't try to exhort information from me, but personal matters were many times declined. However. Though, something about the awe-inspiring look he gave me almost made me sure that he would have let me in anyway.

The archives looked a lot more impressive than the guard's little office. The walls were made out of stone, reaching high above my head. Row after row of heavy bookshelves stretched out before me, all perfectly arranged rows and with contents sorted in alphabetical order. Dim lightning gave the underground cellar a mystical feeling.

I made my way down the aisle between two bookshelves marked A14 and B1, following the small labels on the shelves that would lead me to the files on the Badica Massacre. Pulling out the thick file from the shelf, I brought it over to an empty table by the stone wall.  
The file contained a lot of things; images from the crime scene, the guardian's present after the discovery, the guardian's discovering it (I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I read Rose's name along with the rest, mine among them) and a very long and detailed report how the case had proceeded. Finally, close to the back of the file, I found what I was looking for; the list of victims.

_Badica, Amy _

_Badica, Samuel_

_Badica, Daniel_

_Badica, Thomas_

_Boyarov, Nina_

_Drozdov, Milo_

The list continued with the guardians who had died in their service, but I wasn't interested in them now. I kept my gaze locked at the single line with Nina's name on it. _She _had _been one of the victims… _I couldn't remember seeing her in the Badica house the day Rose and I had discover the massacre. Or perhaps I had, but I hadn't recognized her.

I felt a little sad learning about her death, even if it occurred several years ago and even if she didn't have any personal attachment to me anymore. Nina had been a good woman, kind-spirited and witty. I remembered now that she had big dreams after high school, she had wanted to become a lawyer.

There was just one thought nagging in the back of my head that wouldn't vanish.

_Why did I dream of her now? Why had she appeared in my dreams almost 20 years since we last saw each other?_

I put the paper aside, rapidly flipping through the rest of the papers to see if I had missed anything of significance. I had thought that the file was empty, but at the back of it laid several photographs. They weren't from the crime scene, for the people in this photos were alive and smiling into the camera. I don't know where they were from, many looked as if they could have been taken from the frames in the house as they cleaned it out or perhaps sent in from relatives.

Amy Badica was in several of them; a young woman, only 25 when she died, with light blonde hair and white teeth that she showed off in a radiant smile. One picture was of her, her Drozdov husband and their little daughter while the other one was of her brother, his wife and their two sons.

Lastly, I reached a photograph of a familiar face. It was the only image of Nina in the pile, I suppose her loss hadn't been as great for the people at court in comparison to the Badicas' and the Drozdovs'.  
Smiling wide, she looked straight into the camera, her black hair braided and tossed over her shoulder. On her hip, she carried a little boy. He was perhaps three or four years old when the picture was taken, with black hair like his mother though eyes in a darker brown than his mother's light caramel colour. He leaned his head against Nina's shoulder and his arms around her neck. Furthermore, the little boy was a Dhampir.

I turned the photo to look at the backside, someone had written: _Нина__и Алексей__, июнь 2006 г._ Nina and Alexei, June 2006.

I felt my stomach drop. He could have been a Dhampir sibling to her, but I had a feeling that so was not the case. Not only did he look a lot like his mother, Nina, but there was also something very familiar about him. Carefully, I folded the photo in half and slid in into the inside pocket of my jacket before I put the file together exactly as I found it and returned it to its place in the shelf.

* * *

It was shortly after 8 am when I returned to mine and Rose's rooms. Music blasted out from the portable loudspeakers I had given to Rose for her last birthday, coming from the kitchen. A faint smell of meatballs hung in the air and judging from the sizzling sounds, they were still cooking.

"I'm home", I yelled to make myself heard over the music. Immediately, the volume lowered.

"Hi!" Rose yelled back from the kitchen. I hung my jacket up and put my shoes neatly by the door before I went to her. She stood with her back towards me, moving her head along with the beat of the music. Her dark hair was messily put up in a bun and still wet from a recent shower.

"Are you cooking?" I asked skeptically and crossed my arms over my chest.

Rose turned around and shook the frying pan with meatballs a little. "If you count frying pre-made meatballs, yes."

I walked up to her and slid my arms around her waist, placing a long kiss on her cheek. "How has your day been?"

"Good", she said. "The novice did much better today, he even got in a decent block." She lifted her arm to show me a faint but distinctive bruise on the inside of her upper arm. "You got off late today."

I nodded. "Yes, Christian needed me to follow him to the feeders."

"What did you do this morning?" she asked. "I asked around for you after the training but no one seemed to know where you were."

I couldn't help but smile, even though I knew that this would be a conversation that either would pass by easily or put me on the dry side when it came to sex for the next weeks. Rose always seemed to know when I kept something from her.

"I went down to the archives", I admitted.

"The archives?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyebrows. "Why did you need to go down all the way there?"

"After my nightmare last night, there was something that I couldn't keep away from my mind. The file I needed was about the Badica Massacre."

Rose's posture turned stiff in my arms, her otherwise tanned skin paled as I mentioned the name. I believed that her memories of that day was worse than mine, mostly because her experience with Strigoi at that time was practically nonexistent.

She swallowed. "What was the nightmare about?"

She turned around, leaning her backside against the edge of the sink. I kept my arms around her waist and leaned in to press my lips against her forehead. "I was back at my Academy in Siberia, chasing a woman with black hair."

"I'm not surprised", Rose mumbled and glanced up at me with a sly smile.

"Literally chasing her, she was running away from me", I clarified. "Then she entered a house through a door in the garden." I wanted to stop talking as I realized how stupid it sounded. But dreams always sounded stupid and incoherent as you tried to retell them to someone else.

"As she entered, she turned into you. We ended up in the hallway, right in the middle of the massacre. The bodies and the blood were just as I remembered it. Then you walked into the living room and I could see Nina on the floor as one of the victims. Then you vanished, and when I looked down onto the floor you had joined her." I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. Just the thought of it made me hug her tighter against my body.

"It was just a dream", Rose soothed me before asking the key question. "Who is Nina?"

"Old girlfriend", I admitted. "We were a couple the last semester in high school."

Rose grinned at me. "A girlfriend, do my ears deceive me? Did _you_ have a girlfriend in high school?"

I narrowed my eyebrows. "Yes? Why do you sound so surprised?"

Rose's smile got wider and she shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought that you would all about training, dreaming about making a difference in this world and all."

"I was not that devoted to my future job in high school, I'm afraid", I chuckled. "And I didn't date that much. Nina was the only one who was somewhat serious."

"Did you use to give her private lessons too?" Rose asked amusingly, sliding her hands up my upper arms.

I laughed and shook my head. "We did not train together, she was a Moroi. She was fun, but she never entertained me with the battles that you constantly do."

Rose's smile widened more at my comment and pushed my head closer to hers to give me a deep kiss. She began to pull the edge of my shirt upwards, aiming to get it off me. I didn't know if the talk about previous women made her feel as if she needed to prove herself to me, or if she just had missed me.

"You're burning the food", I mumbled, my lips tightly pressed against hers. Rose turned around for a couple of seconds to turn the stove off and put the frying pan with the meatballs off the hot plate.

"No, I'm not", she said, slightly breathlessly, and pulled my face down for another kiss. I pressed my hips against hers, letting her feel my growing arousal. When she had tossed my shirt away she began to unbuckle the belt in my pants.

"Did you not want the food?" I asked with a smile.

Rose's lips gently bit my bottom lip and her hands grazed the naked skin on my stomach. "I prefer to eat when I'm hungry_."_

* * *

_Surprise, surpise! Despite him being extremely devoted to his cause, I figured that he might have dated at least a little in high school ;-)_

_I have written several chapters ahead, unfortunately, I'm starting to catch up! With school and all, I might not be able to upload every week after chapter 17 or so, but then I will do my best to get some things done on paper! Or... on a Word file... :)_

_Have a great weekend!  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_

Heavy rain fell from the sky as the plane landed at the Court's airport, washing away the little snow that had covered the ground. Dark, heavy clouds covered the sky above the massive buildings that created the protected Court area. I had been here several times, mostly for a quick visit to my parents. Still every time, I was still blown away by its size and magnificence.

A familiar figure waited for me after the security check at the private airport, holding two umbrellas. His face lit up when he saw me and his arms immediately unfolded to capture me in a large hug.

"My little girl, you have grown so much since I last saw you!" He said and placed a polite kiss on my cheek. Since I last saw him, his hair had turned grey above the ears and he had a few more lines below his eyes and in the corner of his mouth.

"So have you, Dad", I teased. "How have you been?"

My father handed me one of the umbrellas and offered to take my luggage. "I have been well, and so has your mother. She has been talking a lot about you lately."

"Has she?" I mumbled.

Dad chuckled. "We have both missed both you and Leo a lot, which only makes us work more."

"You and Mom are far too ambitious", I commented. I tried to make it sound like a joke, though I meant every word of what I said. My parents, Princess Ariana Szelsky and Vincent Conta, were both bigwigs among the Moroi society. My mother even ran for Queen once, the same round where Queen Vasilisa won the crown, but didn't pass the third test. All Moroi children to important people came in second when it stood between them and work, so the academies came well in hand when they needed to get rid of us for a few years. At least that was what it felt like.

"She's actually thinking about stepping down a little from work, she has been working a lot lately", Dad said. "She's been thinking about travelling through Europe."

I raised my eyebrows. "Europe? Really?"

Dad chuckled and nodded. "Yes, she has realized that she wants to see Paris, Berlin, Rome and all those other large capitals."

"Well, that sounds great", I said honestly. "You two should really take that time together."

We entered through the thick wooden doors into the main building and I folded my wet umbrella. In this time in the afternoon on a Friday, the restaurants and shops in the Court's mall were crowded with people doing some pre-weekend shopping.

"Would you like some coffee, tea or something?" Dad asked and made a gesture towards an open-air café next to an electronics shop. It was a cute café, though it would have fitted better in or near a garden than inside of the mall. On top of the wooden fence that cornered the café's area had someone placed an espalier where a thick, green clinging vine climbed up and created a green and soothing roof above the café.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

I took two seats at a round table and Dad went inside to buy us something to eat and drink. I leaned my elbows against the surface of the table and looked out on the people passing. Everybody looked so fashionable, even if they seemed to be off work. Most of the women were dressed in black and straight skirts along with a trendy blouse or perhaps a nice little dress. I saw plenty of people in my own age, give or take a year or two. Many Moroi children seemed to have left their schools to spend some time with their parents during the break.

Dad returned from inside the café and put plates of apple pie and with vanilla sauce down on the table with a clink that snapped me out of my thoughts. A young Moroi waitress had followed him with three cups on a tray and wished us an enjoyable meal before she left.

"Your mom will be joining us in about 10 minutes", he announced and sunk down on his chair before placing his jacket over the back. _That explained the third cup. _

I nodded and grabbed the cup that I presumed contained tea. I had started to drink coffee during the past months, mostly to keep myself awake while studying to tests and in the morning after a night of drinking. However, my dad did not need to know that last thing.

"I assumed that you still drink your tea with milk?"

"Yeah, I do", I mumbled and took a sip from the hot beverage, immediately regretting that since it burned my tongue.

I couldn't help but to feel that I wanted to leave the café and head out in the mall on my own. Dad sipped carefully on his small cup of coffee, glancing down at his watch at least three times a minute. A pressured silence hung over the table that I wanted to escape from. I was doing one of the most casual things someone could so; having a coffee with one of my parents. Yet, the feeling that came over the table was similar to as if all the other chairs had been occupied and a stranger asked to sit by my table only to get a seat.

"How are you doing to school?" Dad asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Good", I replied. "I failed a test in the beginning of the semester but passed it the second time now just before spring break."

"Oh, good job", Dad nodded. "Are you still friends with Joanna?"

I nodded. "Yeah I am, we see each other almost every day."

Dad cleared his throat. "And are you… dating someone?"

I felt my cheeks heat up. Technically, I was, but I couldn't reveal that I was dating a Dhampir. Despite the modern times when it might be somewhat acceptable for a Moroi to date a Dhampir and vice versa, I had a distinct feeling that it wouldn't be appreciated by my parents. Besides, I wasn't even sure that Alexei thought that what we had was dating.

So I shook my head to avoid unnecessary questions. "No, I'm not."

"I see…" was Dad's only response and he continued to drink his coffee. I finally dared to drink my own beverage; the tea was rather bitter and far too strong, but I drank it anyway.

Luckily, we didn't need to engage in another awkward conversation before I noticed a familiar person approaching the café along with the clicking sound from high heels. As always, she was formally dressed in a black suit jacket and a knee long skirt. She was always dressed like that, no matter if she worked or not.

I gave my mother a smile. "Hi, Mom."

Ariana Szelsky lit up and captured me in a big hug. "My little girl, you've grown so much!"

She let go of me and held me at arm's length, scrutinizing my face with her mouth still pulled up in a wide smile. She gently stroked my cheek with one hand and leaned her head to the side.

"You look more and more like me when I was your age", she sighed. She had also aged since I last saw her, although I began to think that the slimness in her face was a result by poor blood supply and stress from a lot of work over a large period of time. Her otherwise brown hair had greyed a great deal; it was concealed by hair dye in a similar colour, but the true colours were revealed by the roots. The lines around her eyes and mouth were also more defined, though hers were more discreet than Dad's. She gave Dad a quick kiss before joining us at the table and grabbing the last cup of coffee.

"So, how have everything been? Was the trip good?" she asked.

"Yeah, though it was longer than I had -" I began, until the shrilling ringtone from someone's phone began to ring and interrupted me.

Mom flashed me an apologizing smile. "Oh, I'm sorry", she said and opened her purse, putting the phone to her ear. A pause in the conversation occurred as Mom rapidly scribbled something down on a notepad she found in her purse and hummed to the person in the other end of the line. I leaned back in my chair and folded my hands over my stomach. Over the short time that I had been sitting here, the amount of people in the mall had increased. I saw more Moroi with guardians following them with a few feet distance between them.

Then, a man emerged from the crowds with a training bag over his shoulder. He walked slowly, taking his time looking around into the windows of the shops he passed them. Not even a large crowd could conceal his presence from me. _Alexei. _

I immediately straightened my back, pulling my fingers through my hair to make sure that it wasn't standing in all directions and forced to pull my gaze away from it until he would come closer to the café.

To my giant luck, Mom's phone call lasted long enough for her to not pay much attention to me, and Dad was digging for something in his briefcase. As Alexei approached, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that discreetly revealed his athletic build and triangular-shaped torso, I stretched my neck and kept my eyes fixed on him to try to catch his gaze.

He spotted me right on time, his face melting into a soft smile. I could immediately see that he was happy to see me, it was like he lit up from the inside, though he tried to look as if nothing special had caught his gaze. Looking up on the sign to the café, he glanced at me again and walked up the small pathway between the round tables before he vanished into the café. He returned a few minutes later with a coffee cup in his hands and took a seat at an empty table diagonally from ours, behind the backs of my parents.

I felt myself blush. How could I possibly engage in a conversation with my parents when I only wanted to rest my eyes on Alexei?

"We should head back home to make ourselves ready for dinner", Mom said and put her phone back in her purse.

I wanted to protest, but I didn't want to reveal why I wanted us to stay. So when we rose to leave, I spoke loud enough for Alexei to hear. "I feel like looking around a little, can I stay a while and look around in some shops?"

Mom and Dad glanced at each other. "Of course", mom sad, giving me a small smile. "It's not very far, you should find your way back without any trouble."

I turned my head to Alexei as we passed him, trying to convey my message through my expression. He nodded at me and I took it as a sign that he understood my message.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I headed back to the café with rapid steps, trying to see all my check-points that would confirm to me that I was heading the right way. Finally, I spotted the walls and roof of the clinging vines and picked my pace up.

Alexei was still sitting at the table, an open book written by Stephen King in his hands and the coffee cup empty in front of him. I stopped on the other side of the fence.

"Alexei?" I called at him.

His head shot up and he smiled when he noticed me. _Oh that smile_... It made my stomach flutter and I had to swallow down a mouthful of saliva. He added a bookmark between the pages and packed it down in his bag .

"You didn't tell me that you were coming here", he said quietly as he came up to me. "Last minute plans?"

I nodded. "Didn't want to spend the holiday alone or with along with my parents. Then I remembered that I might stumble into you here."

"And so you did, lucky you", he said and looked down on me with a crooked smile.

"Lucky me indeed", I said. He placed a light hand on my back and led me past the café. I didn't know where we were heading, but I didn't care either. All I could think about was that I desperately wanted to lace my fingers between his.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my room, I thought", he said, giving me a smile that revealed that he was lightly embarrassed. "I figured that we shouldn't start kissing in public."

I felt my pulse raise. Alexei and me, alone? In his room? With two hours to our disposal?

This week might be better than I anticipated.

* * *

Alexei's home for the week was a small guest room in the residential building. It was a little lager than my room at the academy and it had its own bathroom. He had unpacked, though he'd placed everything on top of the desk instead of in the drawers. It suddenly struck me that he was a tidy person; his clothes were neatly folded and his bed made without a wrinkle out of place.

"I half expected this place to be messy already", I confessed as he locked the door behind us. "Somehow you don't strike me as a tidy person."

"Inherited from my mother, I think", he smiled.

"My mother didn't give me such characteristics", I shrugged my shoulders.

Alexei grinned. "Yet she dressed up for a coffee with her daughter and husband."

"They're not married", I pointed out. "And she works at court, they are all expected to dress formally."

"Will you dress up like that when you work here?" He asked.

"What makes you think that I will work here?"

Alexei looked down. "My apologies, I just assumed that. I thought... since both your parents work here, it would be expected."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like it is for you to be a guardian?"

"No", he smiled a little bitterly. "Not exactly like that. I do not really have a choice."

I walked up to Alexei and placed my arms around his neck, trying to be sensual as I glanced up at him. "Would you like to see me in formal clothing? I can even wear a dress?"

The smile on his lips faded a little, turning smugger. He leaned down, rubbing his nose against my cheek. "No..." he mumbled. "I think that I would like to see you without any clothes at all."

His words made me flinch, though from surprise more than anything else. I wondered for a moment if I had heard him correctly, had he really said that he wanted to see me... _naked?_

Suddenly, his face dropped. "I am sorry!" He apologized. "I should not have said that."

"No, no, no!" I said rapidly. "I was just not prepared!"

I grabbed his hand and put it on my chest, just above my left breast, for him to feel my heart. It pounded hard against my ribcage and I knew that he could feel it beat hard against his palm. His hand slid upwards, cupping my neck as he lowered his lips to mine. I threw my arms around his neck again, clinging to him until there wasn't a part of my front that didn't press against his. His other hand slid up my shirt, resting against the middle of my back.

"I thought you said without clothes", I breathed, pulling away from our kiss for a tender second.

Something lit up in his eyes and he reached up to pull his own shirt off by grabbing it at the neck. Then he grabbed the lower edge of my shirt and pulled it over my head, tossing it away. "If you say so."

Pulling me in for another ground-rumbling kiss, his movements and hands grew braver. His kissed moved lower, gently sucking on the soft skin below my ear which left me gasping and his hands lowered to cup my bottom. I gently pushed him away, but only far enough to slide my hands down his stomach to unbutton his jeans.

"Are you sure about this?" Alexei asked and swallowed.

I glared at him. "Would I try to get your pants off if I wasn't sure?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Never hurts to ask."

***^* Warning - M-rated scene! *^***

**If you do not want to read an M-rated scene, skip the text until you reach the next line of bold letters!**

We were quick to take our clothes off, but as we actually ended up naked in bed we took this remarkably slower. Almost his entire weight was on my body, a comfortable weight that I encouraged by hugging his waist to get him even closer to me. I could feel his erection against the inside of my thigh, pulsating warm and hard. His lips explored my body; my neck, my throat, my chest and my stomach. His touches were gentle, touching my body as if it was a rare piece of fabric he had the chance to touch. His tongue, when he let it play with sensitive parts between my thighs, made me arch my back in pleasure. He usually made pleasurable chills run down my spine only when he touched me, I could barely even explain the pleasurable chills when he did _more_ things to me.

Alexei paused the kisses for a second and stroked my cheek with the tip of his nose. "Do you have any protection?"

I also paused. Firstly, I wanted to slap myself across the face a couple of times; the thought of protection hadn't even crossed my mind once since his presence and actions had taken up all of the space in my head. Then, I nodded. "Yeah I do."

Alexei didn't even try to hide a mixed expression of surprise and slight disappointment in his face as I left the bed and opened up my purse. "Do you always carry condoms in your bag?"

I felt my face redden. I suppose that it was a good thing that I carried condoms with me all the time, since moments like this (or similar to this, I had _never _been with a guy like this before) had happened once or twice before. However, it also sent a message to Alexei that I always carried condoms in my bag.

"Well… Vanessa keeps putting them there", I explained, not entirely lying. Vanessa was usually the ones handing out the things before a party or so, but the contribution was always welcome if the desire would occur. "And for tonight, I guess that's a good thing?"

If he had any other feelings about my stock of condoms, he didn't show it. Quietly, he took the condom from me and opened it. And after a few concentrated seconds, he had the rubber on.

He kissed his way up from my stomach to my lips again, gently rocking his hips from side to side to position himself with his tip just by my entrance. I had a burning fire of desire inside my stomach, I didn't want to wait a minute longer. Slowly he slid into me, stretching me out with slow and agonizing pleasure. He let out a moan, burying his face into the nape of my neck and began to rock his hips forwards. The burning in my stomach slowly began to fade out, spreading its warmth to my arms and legs, then out to my fingers and toes.

With every thrust, which became harder and faster for every minute that passed, I felt an unfamiliar feeling built up in my stomach. I had been with guys before, I wouldn't deny that, but no one of them had ever made me feel like _this. _

Alexei breathed something in Russian in my ear, but I didn't bother to ask what he said. The feeling kept climbing in my stomach, as if it was walking up a hill. His breathing began to grow shorter and more rapid, his hands gripped my hip and kept them still as he thrust faster. The climbing in my stomach began to reach its peak; I didn't know how I knew that, I just did. And as the climbing reached the top and tossed me over the edge like a rollercoaster rolling downwards from the top, my stomach clenched tightly.

Apparently, the feeling of my orgasm was intense for Alexei as well, for only a few seconds later, he made one final thrust and released himself inside of me with a satisfying moan. His body relaxed and he lay panting with his face still buried between my neck and shoulder for a few seconds.

As the room grew silent from any other sounds, I noticed that I was breathing just as fast. I didn't feel tried or anything, but I breathed as if I just had completed a 5-mile run. I nudged my shoulder to lift his face up from my neck and pressed a long kiss on his lips.

His hair was ruffled from the lovemaking and there was a shine to his dark brown eyes. I didn't know how it could be possible, but he was even more handsome while laying naked on top of me.

***^* End of M-scene *^* **

I could have stayed in his bed for hours, preferably with him tightly wrapped around me. I could have spent hour with my head against his hard chest, listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat.  
However, like all good things, our two hours ran out and I had to get dressed again to be in time for dinner with my parents. With Alexei stealing a kiss from me every other second, dressing was both fun and took time. I had to brush my hair with my fingers and erase any smudged make-up with some water.

"Can we do this again sometime?" I asked between kisses before I left his room.

Alexei smiled against my lips and nodded. "Of course we can."

* * *

_And there we have it! An introduction of Mirabel's parents and she finally climbed into bed with Alexei! :) _

_I won't update next weekend, I'm going on vacation for a few days and thought that I should keep those still faithful to this story on the leash for a week more ;) That will also give me some time finish the current chapter that I'm writing! :)_

_Have a good weekend and I wish you a spooky halloween in advance!  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven **

**_Mirabel Szelsky_**  
**_May_**

The weeks that passed after mine and Alexei's first time in his bedroom at Court was several more trips to heaven and back. We both knew, although we tried not to think about it too much, that this relationship wouldn't last after high school. It almost broke my heart to think about it; he would leave to be the guardian to the Prince and I would get myself a job.

However, the realization really made us value the nights that we got together. We always had the dreaded moment of when we would have to part ways when we slept together; and I mean slept together in both the literal way and the more delicate saying.

Vanessa still had no idea about our relationship, no one did as far as I knew, but her crush on Alexei seemed to have cooled off a little. Thank god for that, I was getting tired of hearing her talk about him. However, it had always given me a smug satisfaction when I heard her talk about her desires to kiss and touch him while I could really do that. Perhaps I should feel bad about that, but I didn't.

To top that off, I was now laying in sick with the worst stomach flu I had ever had. I could barely eat anything before my stomach decided that it didn't want to keep it. A high fever that threatened to boil me over and a headache painfully embraced my head had immobilized me in bed for the past two days. Joanna had been a darling a brought me several bottles of yoghurt and soup that I could eat and luckily keep.

"Are you thinking about getting better soon?" Joanna asked when she stopped by for the third time today. She kept her distance, not wanting to be contaminated, but still sat down at the end of my bed.

I glared at her and poured the yogurt into a clean glass. "As soon as possible, I hate feeling like this."

"You look really thin", Joanna commented with real concern. "I hope that you won't have to live on yoghurt and soup for much longer."

"When this passes, I will ask for permission to order a large pizza along with the delivery boy", I assured her, taking small sips from the glass as I returned to the bed. "That will be the meal of the year."

Joanna laughed. "You have earned that."

As I finished the glass, I felt my stomach turn over. I waited for less than a second before I felt the, now familiar, feeling of everything in my stomach on its way up. Joanna fled the bed as well when I rushed up from it and into the bathroom. I grabbed both the edges of the toilet seat and just waited for the convulsions in my belly to pass.

I let out a large groan and flushed the nastiness away as I headed over to the sink to rinse my mouth. "This is fucking horrible", I mumbled.

"I feel sorry for you", Joanna said, her back pressed against the door.

"I have only thrown up in the mornings so far", I noted. "Apparently now it turned into the afternoon as well."

"Morning sickness?" Joanna huffed. "Are you pregnant or something?"

I froze for a microsecond. _Pregnant…? _

I wanted to think that it was impossible. However… I rarely kept a schedule on my periods since they arrived when they arrived and I had never been in a relationship long enough for me to think about birth control. And… Alexei and I hadn't been very cautious with protection. _How incredibly foolish._

There was a possibility… there was a senseless, perplexing and completely unexpected possibility.

I recovered quickly and waved my hand at Joanna with a snort. "Who would have gotten me pregnant?"

Joanna shrugged her shoulders. "Didn't you sleep with Michael Zeklos before Christmas?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Perhaps, but then I'm sure that I would have noticed that a long time ago. I'm not pregnant."

Joanna seemed content with the explanation to that far-fetched possibility and wished me to get better before she left. However, I was left in my room with a head full of thoughts and a large lump inside my stomach.

* * *

**_Alexei Boyarov_**

A light knock on the door woke me only a few minutes after I had fallen asleep. The clock was only 10:30 am, but I was exhausted after tonight's training. I flung the covers aside and walked to the door, rubbing my eyes to get rid of some tiredness.

Mirabel stood on the other side, her arms plastered to her sides and her fists tightly clenched. She quietly slipped through the gap and closed the door behind her, leaning her back against it. I couldn't see much more than the blank expression on her face in the darkness of the room.

"What is it, has something happened?" I asked.

Mirabel looked up at me, opening her mouth to say something, but her bottom lip began to tremble. She put her hand over her mouth, trying to choke a sob. Alarm bells began to ring inside my head, when a girl cried it was never a good sign unless it was tears of joy. Also, I got bad vibes since she had snuck past the guards outside both her and my dorm to get here.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and bent down to look her in the eyes, but she turned her head away from me. "What is the matter?" I asked.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry", she sobbed, burying her face against my bare chest and sliding her arms around my waist. She continued to sob, I could feel lukewarm tears fall from her eyes and down onto my chest.

I didn't know what to do or what to say. _Should I say something? _I didn't have much experience with girls, especially not when they cried, and I felt myself hesitate in every move since it could be the wrong one.

Perhaps it was good to let her cry and explain in her own pace, so I wrapped my arms around her and leaned my cheek against the top of her head.

Almost ten minutes later, Mirabel had calmed down enough to speak without her breaking down. "I'm so sorry, Alexei."

I placed a kiss on her forehead. "What are you sorry for?"

"I think that I'm pregnant."

Her words hit me like a fist in the stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs. I wanted to believe that I head misheard her, but I knew that I hadn't missed a letter of what she just revealed.

I couldn't believe this. Not that I didn't believe that she was pregnant, I trusted her on that. But I couldn't believe that I was doing the exact same thing that I had promised myself that I would never do; make my parents' mistake.

Mirabel moved her head from my chest and dried the tears away from her cheeks and eyes. "Say something?"

I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. "I-I do not know what to say…"

I pulled her with me to the bed and sat down on my rumpled covers while Mirabel slowly sunk down next to me.

"Just tell me what you are thinking about", she pleaded and dried her eyes once again with the edge of her shirt.

I took a deep breath. She was not going to like what I had to say, but I just crossed my fingers that she would appreciate the honesty. "I hadn't expected this to happen to me, I honestly didn't want this to happen to me. I have always been told that duty comes before anything else, which means that I would instinctively chose duty over family", I glanced over at Mirabel. Her eyes welled up with tears again, but she didn't interrupt me.

"I know what happened between my parents, they were in the exact same situation and my father chose duty over family. I grew up after that choice and I hoped that I would never have to choose between the same things, I didn't want to experience myself what happened with their relationship. It's not that I wouldn't like to become a father, not many guardians gets that opportunity, but I wouldn't be able to take the responsibilities that a father should take."

Mirabel waited for my pause before she interrupted. "I don't expect you to give up your career as a guardian, I know how much you want that and I would never make you choose between me and your job." She took a small break to look me in the eyes. They were red-cornered and a little swollen, but she didn't cry anymore.

"If… If I keep this baby I won't put you in an uncomfortable position. I will accept any help and support or responsibility that you feel like you can offer."

I felt a little bad for not feeling any happiness over the news of her pregnancy, but honestly; the news didn't promise a good outcome. If I could chose, I didn't want her to have a baby with me. Mirabel was from a Royal Moroi family and her baby would be a Dhampir, I was sure that it was going to raise several eyebrows and many unwanted questions.

I took her hands between mine. "I don't want to put you in trouble, Mirabel. I don't want you to walk the rest of your life with a child by your side that you had with a Dhampir in high school and mean words about your behind your back."

To my surprise, Mirabel's face turned into a soft smile. "What if I don't care about that? What if having a baby with you would make me really happy, despite the species of the baby?"

I returned her smile, but I wasn't sure that it reached my eyes. "I'm not sure that I would make a good father."

"Well…" she said and cleared her throat. "Now you have the opportunity to find out."

"I don't want to make my own father's mistake", I pointed out to her.

She kept a steady gaze at me. "Then don't, do the best that you can. Clearly, he didn't even try."

I felt deep in my heart that she was right. Despite my wishes of never wanting to choose between duty and family, that was a choice that I would have to make now. And Mirabel's logic made sense; if I didn't want to make my father's mistake I just had to do my best to do this differently. I knew that I wouldn't be able to live with Mirabel to raise our baby, but I could help out with financial support or perhaps even visit when/if I had some time off.

Perhaps it wasn't the best that a man could do, but it was better than nothing.

I leaned down and kissed Mirabel long on her lips, tasting the saltiness from her tears on them. She gently pushed me down on back onto the bed and snuggled close to me, one of her legs tangling with mine and her arms over my torso.

"We'll make this work…" I mumbled and kissed her forehead. She didn't reply, she just buried her nose against my throat after pulling up the covers over us. She didn't even seem to think about that she still wore her everyday clothes.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Mirabel was calmly sleeping while still wrapped around me. But I couldn't sleep, I felt too awake to sleep.

_I was going to be a father. _

Now when she shock had sunk in a little, it didn't feel as disastrous as it had before. I wasn't worried about me not being able to do it anymore. I would try to do the best I could to do everything for this baby. I was more worried about him/her and Mirabel than myself.

I knew that there was going to be talk about her after the baby was born. Perhaps people would think that she has dated some Moroi in secret and accidentally gotten pregnant, but the truth would come out when the baby was born and everyone could see that it was a Dhampir.

I didn't care what they said, but I was sure that everything wasn't going to be kind words and I didn't want to see how hurt Mirabel would look when she heard it. I never wanted to see her hurt or sad, especially not when I had been involved in causing it.

However, she was a strong and independent woman. In a way she was stronger than I would ever be. Physical strength was easy to build up and maintain in comparison to an inner strength and courage.

If she said that she could do this, I trusted her on that. If she said that she could have this baby and turn her ear away from the gossip, she could do that.

* * *

_There you go! Thank you all for your patience :) The whole baby-thingy miiiiight not be completely unexpected, but __illegitimate children from forbidden relationships are always interesting! _

_I'll update in a week again :)  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve **

_**Rose Hathaway-Belikova**_  
_**Graduation**_

Taking my seat on the cushioned benches on one of the many rows around the area made me think about my own guardian trial. It was a different experience to sit up here, ready to watch some new novices prove their worth, than it was to go through the agonizing wait in the barracks outside the stadium just waiting for my turn.

The field below the rows of benches, the center of the gladiator arena, was thinly equipped with a variation of different obstacles to be a challenge for the fighting of the other guardians while trying to use balance and coordination. It reminded me _a lot _of my own trial. They still used the maze and the nets. I give them points for creativity when it comes to various obstacles, though they hadn't changed them much over the past… _how long since I did my trials? _12 years ago. Sometimes it felt like no time at all, sometimes it felt like so much longer.

The benches rapidly filled with people, the Moroi took seats below the awnings that had been put up to shade them from the summer sun. I could immediately spot the opening between the area and the novice barracks where the nervous youths peeked their heads out to take a good look at the area where their future would be decided.

They didn't only do the trials to pass their final test and unite with the true guardians, how they performed today would also be a guideline for who their assignment would be.

I was here as a formality. The novice who had trained with me and Dimitri during spring break, Alexei, had done well during the last days when his nervousness had passed. His graduation was today and I had been asked to witness it. If he did well, I would officially offer him the job as the guardian to Lissa's and Christian's son Lucas.

* * *

One after one, the nervous novices entered the arena and faced a number of school-guardians portraying Strigoi. Some did good, using the obstacles to their advantage and protected their Moroi who came out of the attack with perhaps some more pumping adrenaline that usual. Some did worse, focusing too much on the "Strigoi" and forgot about their Moroi; some even got their Moroi "killed".

Finally, after almost two and a half hours, the Captain of the school's guardians called out the name of the person that I was here to witness.

"Alexei Boyarov!"

He strode out from the barracks with an expression on his face that mediated that he was ready to face an army of Strigoi if that would be his test. He had dressed casually, rather optimal for the trials, in a fitted t-shirt, training pants without any pockets and a belt where he kept a blunt-edged stake.

A dark-skinned, female guardian in her early 40's was assigned to him, chosen to be his frightened "Moroi" for today. Despite her sharp features that seemed to always make her look grumpy and with a countenance of an eagle, she managed to give the illusion that she was help- and defenseless, meek and scared. I remembering greeting her as I arrived to the stadium today and if I remembered her name correctly, her name was Yasmin.

Just as I had gotten a goal, to bring my "Moroi" safely across a bridge, his goal was to bring her safely through the wooden maze. It would certainly test his ability to deal with sudden threats.

As Yasmin took her place behind Alexei, he looked around along the outside walls before he entered the maze. From the grand stand, everyone could look down the maze and see how he managed. However, we could also see where the guardian-as-Strigoi was, which he couldn't.

Alexei picked up his stake, a blunt-edged one that novices borrowed during the trials; they wouldn't pierce the skin, but they could cause bruises blue enough for the guardians they attacked so that they could prove that they knew what they were doing.

He stumbled into the first guardian-as-Strigoi almost immediately, who waited behind a turn. Yasmin screamed, pressing herself against the wall and covered her eyes with her hands. Alexei reacted immediately, blocking the Strigoi's attack with his free arm, capturing it against the wall and slammed the stake in his chest. The Strigoi sunk down onto the floor and acted as dead until Alexei and Yasmin had vanished out of sight.

From up here, I wasn't sure if I saw that Yasmin was shaking with pretended fright, but she definitely looked reluctant to follow him any further. Apparently, the words he spoke seemed to calm her down, for she straightened her back a couple of seconds later and seemed to grow braver.  
Alexei gave little outward sign that he was nervous, he actually looked very calm and reassuring. His expression reminded me, once again, of Dimitri. He always acted calm outwards, even when there was a raging storm of adrenaline, fright and anger inside of him.

Alexei had almost reached the end of the maze before he encountered another guardian-as-Strigoi. He seemed to have relaxed a _little too much, _for when the Strigoi appeared, he wasn't fast enough. The Strigoi shoved him aside, aiming for Yasmin. He managed to grab a good hold of her short hair, she gave up a cry in pain, and began to drag her towards him to "kill" her. Alexei kicked one of the Strigoi's legs away, making him lose balance, and grabbed a strong hold around his throat. I would have expected the guardian to be able to shove Alexei aside, he was half a head higher and at least a hand broader across his shoulders. However, the novice kept him at bay and jammed the stake into his back, just above the heart with a swift and strong movement.

With no room for air, two more guardians-as-Strigoi appeared. One headed for Alexei and the other one for Yasmin. Alexei immediately went for the one that didn't attack him. Since the Strigoi had his back towards him and pretended to be too busy to get a grip on Yasmin, he wasn't prepared when Alexei knocked him to the ground and staked him. Yasmin sunk down onto the ground with another loud scream.  
As Alexei turned to the second Strigoi, he didn't turn in time. The guardian-as-Strigoi slammed his fist against his temple, making him stumble but he recovered quickly. He placed a quick kick against the lower part of the shin on the guardian-as-Strigoi, followed that up with a hard fist in the ribs and as he doubled over a little in pain, Alexei pressed him up against the wall as he shoved the stake against his chest. Had it been a real stake, I was sure that he would have impaled him to the wall.

I sat perplexed as I watched the young novice's trials. He moved as swiftly and as self-confident as any experienced guardian would. After seeing Dimitri fight so many times, I knew that a guardian could move practically as fast as a Strigoi. Alexei seemed a little less swift and fast, though his strength might be able to compensate that. I recognized his passion in his fighting movement, I had it as well. Dimitri had taught me to see the passion in what I did. Before, when I protected Lissa after we broke out from St. Vladimir's, I had only done what I thought was best. After all, I was going something that I felt passionate about; protecting my best friend.

But I got caught up on something. This wasn't the first (or neither the second nor the third for that matter) that I thought of Dimitri when I saw the novice Alexei or saw similarities between them. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something familiar about him, something similar to what I saw in Dimitri.

* * *

I didn't even bother to wait in the back as the novices who had passed the trials got their promise marks in the tattoo ceremony. Almost a whole class was going to sit for fifteen minutes each when they got their tattoos, it would take several hours.

Instead of waiting around, I headed over to the administration building and knocked loudly on the door. I didn't actually want to think about it and I admitted to myself that it was farfetched, but Dimitri _had _dated a Moroi in high school. They graduated over almost 19 years ago, about the same age as the novice Alexei was. Dimitri said that they hadn't talked since they graduated and I didn't think that he would lie about that. But she could have gotten… pregnant shortly before graduation and decided not to tell him.

_Dimitri might not even know that he has a son. _It was farfetched and perhaps not even true. But it was a possibility.

An irritated and clearly sleep-deprived guardian opened the door and glared down at me, at least until recognized me. His eyes widened in surprise and he blinked several times as if he wanted to reassure himself that he saw it correctly.

"Guardian Hathaway?" He asked.

I didn't know the guardian, he wasn't the one who had worked here when I went to school here. However, I was still not used to the fact that my reputation still preceded me.

So I nodded. "Yeah, I would like to see the file of one of your students."

The guardian narrowed his eyebrows. "That is classified, I can't just hand you the file. Why do you need the file?"

I bit my lip. I should have thought about this earlier. This was another fine example of Hathaway-do-first-think-later, though I was not as reckless as I used to be. "The graduation trails for the novices are over and they are getting their tattoo's now- -"

"I know", the guardian interrupted with a small sign. "I have been handling the administration on all the graduates."

That could explain the obvious look on lack of sleep in his face.

"Once of the nov- - new guardians is going to be offered the job as the guardian to Prince Lucas, I only need to peak through it to see if his high school records hide any unwanted information."

The guardian's face fell and he swallowed down a mouthful of saliva, looking as guilty as if he had kept information hidden during a murder investigation or something. Luckily, he bought my rapidly invented explanation. "Alright, you can look though it quickly."

He let me inside the office and closed the door behind me. A large and deep bookcase that fit several wooden boxes where I assumed the files of every student were organized in which year they went. His desk overflowed with papers and I raised my eyebrows at the fact that St. Vladimir's still didn't seem to use computers.

"What's the name of the student?" The guardian asked and pulled the box with a label that said "_seniors". _

"Alexei Boyarov."

He looked through the labels of all the students names and hauled up a very, very thin file. "This is all, otherwise he has been a very good student or they didn't send all the files from St. Basil's."

He handed me the file and began to pile the papers on the desk up to give me some space, humming low to himself. The file began with the mandatory student-profile. There was a recent picture of Alexei, his full name, his day of birth, his place of birth and a lot of other rather irrelevant information. The rows where his parents were listed only contained one name. No father was listed, the blank was filled with _unknown. _

As his mother, a somewhat familiar name was scribbled in with black ink. _Nina Boyarova. _

I pushed all the thoughts that popped up in my head as far back as I could. I couldn't face those feelings right now, I had to step outside. I rapidly went through the rest of the papers, most of them were completely in Russian and didn't give me any information at all, before I handed the file back to the guardian, thanked him and left the administration.

* * *

I took the fastest way outside, resting my back against the door as it closed behind me. The sun had risen about two hours ago, it was starting to get closer to night for the Moroi world. I swallowed, trying hard to push the tears that began to gather in my eyes away.

It was as I had feared and predicted. I was almost completely sure, unless this Nina had slept around in high school, that Alexei Boyarov was Dimitri's son. I had done the math on my way out; Alexei was born in November, meaning that he was conceived sometime in February. She could have hid her pregnancy the last time in school or perhaps not even have discovered it until she had graduated.

That would explain why Dimitri didn't know anything about it. For if he knew, he wouldn't hide it from me.

The information slowly began to sink into my head. Suddenly, life felt so unfair. I had never thought that I would ever want to have children in my life and I had been happy with that realization if I could only have Dimitri. He and Lissa were the only people that I needed in my life, I didn't need a baby.

But god… I wanted one. I didn't want to have a baby just for the sake of having a baby. I wanted _Dimitri's _baby. I wanted a son or a daughter with the smile of its father. Every time I looked at our child I wanted to see Dimitri's eyes in them.

If Dimitri would die…

The tears that had gathered in my eyes overflowed and began to run down my cheek.

If Dimitri would die before I was ready to let him go, I wanted to be reminded of him in our son or daughter. A smile, a laugh, the colour of his eyes, anything that could still live with me and keep the memory of him instead of just pictures and memories.

I sunk down along the wall and buried my face in my hands, allowing the tears to flow since I knew that no one was around. I would never give him, _us_,a baby. I didn't mind that Dimitri had a baby with another woman 18 years ago, what pained me was that I couldn't give him the same thing.

* * *

_A little emotional ending to that chapter, don't you say? _

_I don't really have much to say this week, exept that it makes me really glad that you are reading this far!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_  
_**August**_

Shortly after 7 am, I got off my shift at work. After grabbing my bag form behind the reception desk, I said a passing goodbye to Mrs. Miller who was returning a cart of books into their shelves.

After my graduation, I got a temporary job at the Court's library that I would keep until I had my baby. I had to put my plans of going to college on hold for a while, at least until he or she was old enough to start kindergarten. Alexei and I still saw each other, though more secretly now than in high school. We had made a schedule that allowed us to get at least 10 minutes of privacy a few times a week. He went to training when I left work and we met behind the Guardian Hall for some quick kissing before we had to go our separate ways. It pained me deeply that I couldn't express the love I felt for him openly, but I had known from the beginning that we could never do that after high school.

And when it came to the baby… Five months pregnant, with my skinny frame and a rapid stream of gossip, there was no one who didn't see that I was pregnant. My belly stretched out under my tight fitted shirts and I didn't do anything to hide it apart from wearing an occasional sweater now and then.

As expected, my parents had needed a large scotch and a bag to breathe in when I told them the news, but they had calmed down relatively quickly. They had asked about the father, but I didn't want to reveal it. I got the impression of their rational thinking of "I hope that he will support you financially" and "Have you two thought of shared custody?" that they simply assumed that the father was another Moroi.  
I hadn't objected, I didn't mind if they assumed that until the day of the delivery when the truth about my Dhampir baby would come out anyway.

* * *

My parents' house, where I currently lived until I could find a place of my own, was located in the far end of Court, about half an hour away to walk from the center of Court. They lived in a large villa with almost 2200 square feet of grass surrounding it, a villa with light blue walls and white window frames. Three floors high, the villa needed a small quantity of staff to maintain the proper standard for the Szelsky Princess and her partner's house.

I parked the car on the driveway, immediately noticing an additional car that I didn't recognize. I narrowed my eyebrows, I wasn't aware of that we were expecting guests.

I had barely stepped up on the patio before the front door opened and mom peeked her head out. I noticed right away that she had fixed herself far too sophisticatedly for an evening at home. She had applied an elegant and light make-up that fit her pale complexion and arranged her hair in a French braid.

"There you are!" she said with a relieved sigh. "We expected you home at six."

"I was working", I remarked and stepped inside. "Like I do every day."

Mom ignored my, rather snide, comment. "We have a guest! Go upstairs and put on the dress I put on your bed, it will be perfect for tonight."

I froze. "Why?" I asked skeptically. "Who is here?"

Mom put her arm around my shoulders and began to lead me up the stairs where I had my room. "William Ozera, and he is here to see you."

I began to notice where this conversation was going. "I'm not ready to date, mom. No one will want to date me with this belly."

"We are only having him over for dinner, Mirabel. You don't need to date anyone yet", she said shortly and practically pushed me into my room. It was the same room that I had lived in since I left for St. Vladimir's in the first place, though it had gone through some remodeling several times when I returned here over the summers. The walls were no longer pink, now three of them where white while the fourth had a coffee colored tapestry.

On the bed laid a cream colored dress; long sleeves, fitted waist and a decent neckline. As I put it on, I saw that it reached me mid-thigh and stretched out nicely over my belly. It suited me well, though I didn't see the dress as a kind gesture.

I knew that my parents strongly disapproved of my pregnancy, even though they reluctantly accepted the situation. My mother was the Princess of the Szelsky family and even though she hadn't married, she had made a good match for herself with another Royal Moroi. As her daughter, I needed to fulfill a certain standard as well.  
I knew that they had invited William Ozera over to introduce him to me, a clear message that I needed to fix my situation as soon as possible. If I started to date him, _perhaps they even expected me to marry him_, it would tell everyone that I wasn't undesirable despite my slip in high school.

They wanted me to look as good as possible, desirable, as if this William Ozera could "restore my honour" from the fooling teenage mother to a modest woman.

I brushed my hair through with a few strokes of my brush and checked my face in the mirror too see if my make-up was still looking good before I headed downstairs. They were all waiting in the living room; Mom, Dad and William Ozera.

I had never met William Ozera before, but I knew of him as the second or third cousin to King Christian Ozera. Like the rest of the Ozera family's traits, he had short, black hair and light blue eyes. He had a sharp jaw, angular cheekbones and curvy lips. He wasn't unattractive, but he was nothing compared to Alexei.

He smiled politely at me and held out his hand to greet me. "I'm William Ozera, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Mirabel Szelsky, it's nice to meet you as well", I said and shook his hand. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."

He waved his hand. "No worries, I have been well cared for."

I saw my mother's face turn into the definition of delight and she clapped her hands together. "Now when we are all gathered we should sit down for dinner", she smiled and made a gesture towards the opening into the dining room.

She let William and Dad enter the room first and when I passed her she slowed me down by placing her arm around my shoulders and kissing me lightly on the cheek. "You look beautiful, Mirabel."

"Thanks", I said. "But I didn't put much effort into it."

Mom sighed behind me. "You don't need to sound so malicious, we are only trying to help you."

I spun around. "Help me? By forcing someone's company upon me hoping that we will fall in love and get married?"

"We don't want you two to marry", Mom said, but her so carefully make-upped cheeks blushed a little pinker by the lie. "But William is a good man, he's not much older than you and practically single."

I raised an eyebrow. "Practically?"

Mom sighed. "He's dating a Dhampir, but he will eventually set her aside and marry someone more in his league."

"So you are saying that this would be an opportunity for both of us to do the respectable thing?"

Mom bit lightly into her bottom lip. I could almost feel that she wanted to say no to that question, but she knew that she couldn't lie about it. Carefully, she cupped my cheeks and placed a light kiss on each of them.

"I only want what is best for you, I'm not forcing you to marry anyone that you don't want to. I know that you are not willing to date, especially not now", she smiled a little at me and looked down on my belly. "But in the future you will probably want to meet someone new and… It doesn't hurt to make yourself acquainted with some people."

I swallowed. I didn't want to date anyone but Alexei, even if I knew that that door was closed. It didn't matter that everyone else expected me to marry someone in the future, I didn't think that I could love anyone as much as I loved him.

I gave up a sign in defeat. "Alright, I'll behave tonight."

Mom smiled at me. "Thank you."

* * *

Dinner wasn't actually that bad. Our cook had made a delicious roasted chicken with mushrooms, carrots and parsnip along with spicy potatoes cut into pennies and a glass of red wine (or sparkled water for my part). William Ozera was actually a very nice and social guy; he talked a lot about his hobbies and interests, apparently he enjoyed playing the guitar when he had the time, and about his work as a paralegal. My parents were obviously very impressed withhis education and occupation; though they didn't show it more than just politely.

"And what about the girl you are dating, tell us a little more about her", Mom said and took a small sip from her glass of wine. I wanted to leave the table, this was humiliating both to me and William.

William's cheeks got a rosy tone to them. "Her name's Julia, she works at a baker in one of the Court's café's."

"For how long have you two been dating?"

"Almost two years", William said, straightening his back in his chair. I could spot the signs in his changed posture; he stiffened, his nose lifting a little in the air and his eyebrows narrowed just the slightest. He turned defensive.

My mother also seemed to sense that she was heading into sensitive ground. She took another sip from her wine and rose from the table. "I think I shall go and see how the dessert is doing", she excused herself.

"Mirabel?" William said as we all rose from the table. "Will you join me on the terrace for some fresh air?"

Taken by surprise, I shot a quick glance at my mother who discreetly nodded. Not because I wanted to please her, but I could really need a break from the pretend just-a-guy-over-for-a-casual-dinner.

"Of course", I said, placing the napkin that I had had in my lap onto the table. I followed William out from the dining room, into the living room and out on the backside terrace. Several lanterns had been lit as the sun began to set below the tree tops, coloring the sky in an amazing pallet from blue to pink to end in a deep orange.

William closed the terrace door behind us. "Can I ask an honest question?" he asked, thankfully not starting any polite small talk. I nodded.

William sighed, giving me a small and slightly embarrassed smile. "Am I here because you wanted to invite me or because your parents want to start something between us?"

"The latter", I remarked quickly. "I didn't even know that you were coming, I sensed a conspiracy as soon as I stepped inside the house. And I'm sorry for the questions about your girlfriend, I'm sure that they didn't mean to make it so obvious."

William chuckled. "It's okay, I'm used to questions about her." He nodded towards my stomach. "Congratulations on the baby."

"Thanks", I said. "That's the most sincere congratulations that I have gotten so far, I think."

William smiled at me and began to drum his fingers against the edge of the wooden fence that surrounded the terrace.

"Would you want to have children with Julia?" I asked, turning my head towards him.

I saw his Adam's apple jump as he swallowed. "That would be the dream, I would love for us to start a family. But that wouldn't help to make other people accept our relationship. They are already expecting us to leave each other soon and move on."

"Will you?"

William looked at me with an amused smile. "Are you saying that I have a choice?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I would like to think that you have. You should be allowed to live with the one you love, despite that everyone else finds that unacceptable. But... We tend to choose what is easier for us in the long run."

"You sound as if you speak out of experience."

"Perhaps", I said, shrugging my shoulders. "If I had been braver I would have chosen the harder alternative.

"Like staying with the father to your baby?"

Automatically, my hand flew up to rest on top of the bulge where mine and Alexei's baby rested. "It would be impossible", I said vaguely. I didn't want to reveal anything about Alexei to anyone, especially not to someone that I didn't know. However, I also had a feeling that William would be one of few people who would understand.

"Like my future with Julia?"

"Yeah… Something like that..." I mumbled, turning my head away to look out over the grassland the stretched out before us until it reached a wall of trees. Silence fell between us. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I got the feeling that William _knew_ about my complicated situation.

William leaned his palms against the wooden fence. "Perhaps we should start dating. People would stop thinking of you as a single teenage mother and think of me as the guy who finally did the right thing."

I snorted. "How would that work out? We don't even know each other."

He laughed. "That's sort of the point of dating."

"And then what?" I asked. "When we have done what everyone expects of us and dated for a while. What if they start to ask if we are going to marry? Shall we surrender to that too?"

William hesitated, turning his head from me to look out over the grass as I had done a few minutes earlier. "We could marry. We could sign some papers and get a house together, move away where no one will bother us. I could manage to get Julia to the house and perhaps you could… have your guy nearby."

I raised my eyebrows. "Marrying for show, really?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? It would practically solve everything. People would stop talking and we could give our love to the ones we want."

I had to bite my bottom lip to prevent saying something that I would regret. I didn't like the idea, I didn't want to marry anyone. It would break my heart to commit myself into something like that. It would feel as if I cheated on Alexei, but it would be with Alexei that I cheated on my husband.

But… I had to admit, it would solve most of my problems. My parents, and probably everyone else as well, would be satisfied with my choice of partner and he wouldn't care that I loved Alexei, just as I wouldn't care that he loved Julia. To all outsiders, we would appear to have done the appropriate thing when we instead dedicated our hearts to those they really belonged to.

"I'll think about that", I replied. "But keep in mind that I will probably say no."

William smiled at me, a sincere and kind smile. "I'm not happy about the thought either, no offense."

I felt my lips pull up in a smile as well. "None taken."

* * *

_The excitment rises! Poor Alexei, what will he think about this? _

_It's actually hard to upload just once a week, I want you friendly and nice people who's still reading this to read the rest! Except that I haven't finished the story and I won't be able to write that fast :)  
_

_Have a nice weekend!_

_Zeraphime_


	14. Chapter 14

**Fourteen **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

After almost two hours of combat training with another off-duty guardian, I left the Guardian Hall with my bag over my shoulder and headed back towards the main building. Mirabel hadn't left work yet, she wouldn't go off until 7 am, so I would try to get her into some deserted part of the library for some alone time with her.

I had seen her only two days ago, but it felt like two weeks ago. I missed to hold her in my arms and to smell the familiar and comforting scent of her skin and the wear trace of her perfume that seemed to follow her even when she didn't wear it.

I entered the library, stretching my neck and kept my eyes alert to see if I could spot Mirabel. Like everything else at court, the library was magnificently built in dark wood. It held over three million books, half of it significant collections of manuscripts, maps and printed music from the early parts of the Moroi history. The Long Hall, which was the largest part of the library, consisted of two floors. A long corridor stretched between the rows of shelves, after every fifth shelf a small spiral stair appeared that lead to the second floor's shelves. The second floor didn't have any floor above the corridor of the Long Hall, making the roof of the library stretch high up above the visitors.

I felt tiny as I walked through the corridor and admired the wooden ornaments on the shelves and fences that towered up around me, reaching all the way up to the roof. Every step I took seemed to echo between the heavy wooden shelves as I approached the reception desk where recognized Mirabel's brown curls that fell down her back. She stood with her back towards me, keeping her face on the computer screen while her hand moved the mouse over the mouse-pad.

"Excuse me", I asked and leaned my palms against the surface of the desk. "I'm looking for a book in a secluded part of the library."

She turned around slowly, stoking a lock of her hair behind her ears and gave me small smile. "I know exactly where to find that book", something sparkled in her eyes as she spoke and she made a gesture with her hand to follow her.

She escorted me into the back of the library, past the deserted shelves and the empty tables, and up a spiral stair to the second floor. She checked inside the empty spaces between the shelves for any hidden visitors while she continued to walk towards the back of the library. There didn't seem to be a single visitor in the library at the moment.

She made a quick turn to the left, entering a small hollow between a full bookshelf and the furthest wall. The hollow was secluded in darkness and in the furthest end of the library, no one would find us here even if they were looking for us.

I dropped my bag on the floor and pulled Mirabel into my arms, pressing my lips tightly against hers. With a force I hadn't expected, she threw her arms around my neck and backed until her back hit the wall.  
It felt as if I had been on a diet for several weeks and finally was allowed to take a piece of that cake that I had longed for. I took my time savoring every kiss and touched her body with utter care. I felt the emptiness in my stomach that had expanded for every day that passed where I couldn't kiss here finally beginning to grow smaller, the hunger for her that I constantly felt began to fill.

I never wanted to let her leave my arms.

However, I did notice some hesitation in her posture. There was a stiffness to her that indicated that she wasn't fully dedicating to the moment. There was something bothering her mind.

I pulled my head away. "What is it?"

Mirabel's tight grip around my neck loosened and her hands slid down to rest on my chest. She swallowed, keeping her gaze steady on the mark printed onto my t-shirt. "There is something that I think you should know…"

"What is it?" I asked.

"I…" she began but trailed off when her eyes flooded with tears. I felt a pang in my chest, I hated when she cried. She was unhappy when she cried, and I hated to see her unhappy. I moved my hands from her hips up to the middle of her back and pulled her closer to me as she leaned her head against my chest.

"My parents invited William Ozera over for dinner a couple of days ago", she sobbed when the worst of the tears had passed. "They are trying to set us up together."

"Are they trying to marry you off?" I asked.

Mirabel gave up a light laugh and dried the tears away from her cheeks. "No not exactly, they are just hoping that I will come to my senses and think about my future."

She moved out a little from my embrace, though stayed close enough for me to keep her arms around her. She locked her arms around my waist. "He has dated a Dhampir for the past two years, but everyone is expecting him to set her aside soon and marry another Moroi."

I listened carefully, trying to think ahead where this conversation was going. The thoughts on Moroi-Dhampir relationships were rather clear; a Moroi could keep a Dhampir as a temporary company or perhaps a mistress, but they never engaged in a prolonged relationship. Mine and Mirabel's relationship would have been accepted for a little while, but then everyone would expect us to break up.

Mirabel took a deep breath before she continued. "And he suggested that we get a house together, so that no one will interfere with our private lives again."

I raised my eyebrows. "You want to move in with him?"

Frantically, she shook her head. "No! I want to be with you! But if William and I pretend to have a relationship, no one with bother us anymore!"

"What about the marrying then? When everyone starts to ask when you two will marry, will you follow through with that too?" I snapped. I didn't matter that she and William had no feelings for each other and that everything would be for show; I didn't want to fool around with another man's wife. She was carrying my baby, she and the little girl or boy owned every inch of my heart, yet some Ozera guy would get all the credit as her husband.

Mirabel bit her bottom lip and a few silent tears rolled down from her eyes again. She couldn't quite keep her voice steady and her words were faint. "It would only be on paper…"

I dropped my hands from her back and backed away a step. "How did you think that I would feel about this?" I said, focusing hard on keeping my voice down in the acoustically brilliant library. "I am forced to stand down when everything I want to do is to love you without anyone interfering! Instead, you will commit to someone else!"

She stepped forwards, cupping my face with strong but soft hands and pulled me down for a kiss, more intense than any kiss she had ever given me. I could sense the emotions that she tried to put into that kiss; _love, despair, resentment. _

"If I could marry you, I would", she whispered. "Centuries of opinions and traditions stand between us, and I would go against every single one of them if it had been in my power! I would run away with you and live in a secluded village somewhere in Europe or anywhere else in the world! But…"

"But…?" I helped, swallowing down a lump that began to gather in my throat.

Mirabel's tear-filled eyes look up at me. "But that would mean to pull you away from your job as a guardian, from what you have trained hard your entire life to be. I would force you into hiding and to throw away your life's work."

I wanted to object, to say that it was okay and that I didn't mind. But I couldn't, she was right. Even if I wouldn't have hesitated in taking the chance to live the rest of my life with her, I would leave all the opportunities to do my duties; to serve and protect the Moroi. That had been my goal for so long; to train and develop so that I could perform that duty with pride. Even if a life with Mirabel was so tempting, that wasn't something that I could set aside so easily.

"I don't want you to marry him, I don't want to share you with anyone", I said.

"When it comes to my heart, the only one you will have to share that with is him or her", she said and stoke the roundness of her growing belly. I moved my own hands from her back to her stomach, stroking the surprisingly hard bump. Then, beneath everything that separated us from the little baby, I felt a light movement or as if he/she was stroking against the place where I held one of my hands.

My head shot up. "Did you feel that?"

Mirabel nodded, a wide smile spreading on her lips. "Yeah, of course I did!"

I pulled her in for another kiss, suddenly feeling the need to keep her close to my body again. "Alright then, I surrender. If this William Ozera is offering a solution so that we can be together, I should be grateful."

She smiled lightly. "There will only be you, don't forget that. And remember, William also has a Dhampir that he doesn't want to live without, this solution is as much for him as it is for us."

I nodded. I still wasn't completely fond of the idea, I had a feeling that it would still feel like cheating or if I was some lover that she tried to keep hidden. But I could live with that, as long as I could be with her.

With her and our baby.

* * *

_A slightly short chapter, but I hope that you like it! I'll update like normal next week :)  
_

_Love, Zeraphime  
_


	15. Chapter 15

**Fifteen **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_  
_**Early January, nine months pregnant**_

I was sick and tired of this now.

I didn't want to be pregnant anymore, I didn't want to walk around feeling like a beached whale or as if someone had placed a planet in the size of Neptune in my belly. I wanted to go into labor and I wanted to get this baby out. And adding to the frustration, my doctor had ordered me bed-rest unless I wanted to spend the few weeks in a supervised hospital bed.

He or she should have arrived around Christmas. But both Christmas and New Year's had passed without a sign of any baby. Still, the Braxton Hicks contractions continued and always got my hopes up that the baby could come any day now.  
I couldn't sleep properly, I was anxious, uncomfortable and I needed to leave the bed to pee once every hour. My feet and ankles had swollen up to a rather impressive size and it felt as if someone would poke a hole through my skin I would be able to fill several buckets of water.

I wanted Alexei to be here with me and support me, but I had a settled for a quick phone call every night. At least his voice was the last thing I heard before I went to sleep. His job didn't seem to be very busy, but he hadn't expected that he would be when he became a guardian to such a small child.  
William Ozera had been oddly supportive during the remaining part of my pregnancy since my parents invited him over for dinner. We had both tried to make it look like as if we were getting more comfortable in the thought of us dating. However, he hadn't shut up about Julia when we met and I tried hard to keep Alexei's face out my head to pay him some polite interest.

I had met Julia by now; she was a short and cute Dhampir girl with long hair in a beautiful copper-red colour. We had all met up in William's apartment and she had brought her own newly-baked cupcakes that were the best one I had ever tasted. It was clear that she didn't appreciate that William spent time with me, but after a while she didn't seem too reluctant to be in my presence.  
After William and I had moved into a house further away from court, she would try to get a job close-by to visit him easier. Things would work out great for them at least. I was a little sad that it wouldn't work out as great for Alexei and me. He would visit when he could, but I feared that it wouldn't be very often.

* * *

Finally, after several days of protracted and tedious wait, my labour pains started. My mother drove me to the hospital, anxious over the birth of her first grandchild but not overjoyed of being awoken at 3:15 in the morning (or… morning for us but afternoon for humans).

The realization over that I was having my baby didn't seem to hit me until I saw the hospital sign. I had waited so long for this to happen; first the many months where the baby had grown inside of me and secondly this protracted wait when I expected the pains to grow more similar to labor pains than contractions. I was ready and as prepared as I could be now.

I was ready to meet my baby.

Unfortunately, I was in labor for over 17 hours. 17 hours of constant and drawn-out pain. The contractions were awfully painful and got closer and closer with every hour that passed. I wasn't allowed to push, only to wait until my lower part had opened up to the midwife's satisfaction. Somewhere in the middle, as I had to suffer through another contraction without returning it by pushing, I was on the verge of begging someone to put an end to my misery.

But after half a day had passed, I was mostly annoyed that nothing happened. I was constantly in pain but I didn't felt as if I got somewhere. I could handle the pain, but only if brought me closer to seeing my child. I had opened the 10 centimeters and was allowed to push several hours ago, but the baby didn't seem to move further down.

"You need to relax more!" the midwife told me and she looked up from between my legs. "You are pushing too hard, let your body do the work!"

I took a couple of deep breaths, squeezing the rails on the sides of my bed until my knuckles whitened. The contraction had passed, but I could feel another one coming. The pain that ached around my lower abdomen and hips rinsed over me. I tensed up, ready to push for my life, but hesitated. _Let my body do the work._

I waited until I felt an urge to push, when the pressure against my lower parts increased. I felt an immediate change. I felt so stupid, trying to force my baby out by pushing as hard as I could. My body was built to do this, to give birth. Despite that I hadn't given birth before, mybody knew how to do it.  
Perhaps that was the care or I was just sick and tired of pushing. Perhaps I allowed my body to take over because I was tired and wanted to rest.

* * *

But after I had gotten the hang of it, it took half an hour, only 30 short minutes until I felt the baby slip out of me into the midwife's arms. Exhausted, yet with the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I leaned back against the pillows and received a small bottle of water from one of the nurses.

My baby let out a scream that would make any opera star proud as the midwife wrapped her or him up in one of the hospital's blankets. I wanted to hold my baby, as I had waited so long to hold my darling child in my arms, but I needed to push the placenta out first.

It was another delivery, a mini-delivery, but without a baby in the end. I had been done with this as soon as my baby was out, I wanted everyone to leave me alone with my daughter or son. It actually ached in my heart to not see my baby, even if the nurses hadn't stepped away more than a few feet and stood with their backs towards me as they cleaned up my child. I had waited nine months to meet her or him, I didn't want to wait another second.

Thankfully, the afterbirth was quickly over and I was finally allowed to hold my screaming baby. He was wrapped in a blue blanket, just like in the movies, and was red and wrinkly. I put him on my chest, hoping that he would latch onto my breast, and looked down on him. He already had some hair, a small tuft of black hair on top of his head, and his skin was in sharp contrast against my pale skin. He calmed down and curiously looked around with his deep blue, perhaps wondering what strange place he had ended up on after almost a year inside my warm belly.

"Hi there, little guy…" I whispered to him. "I have only known you for a couple of seconds, but I already love you more than anything."

He looked up at me, his forehead wrinkled and his hands closed up in fists below his chin. I leaned down, placing a light kiss onto his warm head.  
I guessed that we would have about an hour left of peace and quiet until my mother had seen that her grandson was a Dhampir and called my dad over. I would have some explanation to do.

* * *

I was right.

It took 1 hour and 15 minutes until I had been moved to the maternity ward and my mom had called my dad and waited for him to arrive. They only needed one glance at the baby, then their faces turned from anticipation and delight to surprise and resentment.

"What is this?" Mom snapped, narrowing her eyebrows as she turned to look at me. A blush had appeared on the top of her chest and up on her throat, like it always did when she was angry or upset. "Mirabel Szelsky, what is this?"

I swallowed, instinctively holding my son closer to my chest as if someone would take him from me. I was exhausted, hungry and sweaty; I wasn't in any condition to fight or raise my voice. I wouldn't throw a tantrum, tonight I would only try to subdue their anger. "This is my son; your grandson."

She didn't answer at first, yet her mind seemed to work hard to stomach the sudden information. "You forgot to mention that you had a _child _with a _dhampir._"

"Why does it matter?" I asked. "It's my son no matter who gave him to me."

"You are royal! Royal Moroi don't get pregnant with _Dhampirs!_" she said, her jaws tightly clenched. "There are several other Moroi girls who could have lowered to that standard!"

"That sound like a kind way of calling me a whore", I snapped.

"You could at least have had the decency to get pregnant with another Moroi! That would have caused us a lot less trouble!"

Mom sunk down on the seat nearby, rapidly accompanied by my father, while she rubbed her temples with her index fingers. Dad had paled, despite his already pale complexion, but didn't seem so visibly upset. As calm as he appeared, he asked: "Did you know that the baby was a Dhampir?"

I looked down on my son, not daring to look at any of my parents. I felt like a child being scolded by my parents from stealing cookies from the jar. "Of course I did, I haven't slept around", I remarked, giving my mother a sharp look.

"Who is the father? Was he also a student at the school?" Dad asked. His calmness allowed me to relax a little; perhaps the worst part and the harsh accusations were over, but I approached his questions carefully.

"Yes he was."

"Are you going to tell us who he is?" Dad asked.

I shook my head. "No, that's none of your business."

Dad sighed. "Don't be impossible, Mirabel. This is a complicated situation and we have to make sure that we find a smooth and quick solution."

"_A smooth and quick solution?_" I quoted. "The only solution is that I will keep my son with me and everyone else can go on with their lives."

Mom let out a mocking laugh. "Surely you understand that that isn't an option? What man would be willing to date you when you carry around a Dhampir - _baggage_?"

I clenched my jaw in anger. "William Ozera would. As you two clearly pointed out from the moment I met him, he has no issues with a close relationship to a Dhampir."

"You will be very grateful if William Ozera wants to keep seeing you when he finds out about the child."

I pressed my lips together, refusing to reveal anything about mine and William's arrangement. "He was fine with dating me while I pregnant, he knows very well that I would bring a child that wasn't his into our relationship."

"If he accepts that you have a Dhampir child, he sure is an honorable, tolerant and generous man", Mom said. "Far more decent than you have been."

I felt a stinging pain in my chest from Mom's harsh words, her accusations of me being a whore and allowing myself to do something as disgraceful as giving birth to a Dhampir child. She wasn't a mean person, not normally. She just… had a strong view and a rather old-fashioned way of thinking.  
The ancient views of the reproductions between Dhampirs and Moroi was pointless and, like I just mentioned, antique. Classifications between and within the races… Stupid. My little boy was just as precious to me despite him being a Dhampir as my mother so gently put it.

Those old-fashioned views; that Moroi women kept themselves to Moroi men but the men could have a fling or two with Dhampir women, was certainly not fair for the century that we lived in. They were old, even older than medieval. Humans didn't have those sorts boundaries for whom they mated with, despite their heritage.  
Yet, in this modern century, Moroi women were practically disgraced if they had a baby with anyone other than a Moroi.

"Enough cruelty, Ariana", Dad said and placed his hand on the middle of her thigh. "I think that Mirabel understands what this must look like to us."

_I did understand, but I neither wanted to care nor live by it._

"She must take responsibility of her actions. I am the family princess, other people must see that we have done something about this", Mom said, her voice sending a clear message of despair. "I have a standard to set. And as my daughter, she has as well!"

"If William Ozera would still consider to marrying her, even when he finds out about the child, this would be quieted down very quickly", Dad assured her.

They spoke as if I wasn't even in the room, as if I wasn't present to hear their words that cut through my heart like a knife. Them not speaking directly to me felt as if they cut me out, like they didn't care if I was here or not. My son began to wail in my arms, hungry for food or perhaps even a little human blood.

I swallowed down a lump in my throat, surprised that I hadn't started to cry yet, and rocked him gently back and forth. I didn't want to break down and explain what I had done, surrender to their views and apologize for what I had done but what I didn't regret.

Unfortunately, my sensitive state broke down the resistance that I had built up in my heart for so long. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I was just as shocked and surprised as you were when I found out", by voice cracked at the end. Warm tears overflowed in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, most of them landing on my swollen bosom.

"We knew, even after I found out that I was pregnant, that our relationship wouldn't survive once we graduated and we were both fine with that. He will do his best, he will send money to help me to provide for our son but he will not be able to visit often. William knew about him from the start, he seemed to sense it in me immediately, and he had promised me that it wouldn't be a problem."

I took a deep breath, looking into the eyes of my parents and told a great lie. It was to protect Alexei, our son and myself, or I would never have told it. I didn't want to sell myself out in this way, pretend that I wanted to play by their opinions and live by their ancient views, but I feared that it would be the only way for me to make some way of peace between me and my parents.

"I always knew that I had to marry another Moroi, it never left my head, and William has been kinder to me than any other man would have been regardless of my pregnancy with another man. I am sure that I will grow to love him."

I saw Mom relax in her seat, leaning back against the stuffed back of the short sofa. She squeezed dad's hand, taking a few deep breaths. She mumbled something and I couldn't quite hear what she said. Though I sounded a little like: _"At least she has some sense…"_

"We will help and support you as much as we can - -", Dad began, but Mom interrupted him.

"But you have to understand that you future depends on how William will react in all this. If he doesn't - -."

Her words were also interrupted by loud voices in the hallway and then with the door to my room at the maternity ward being flung open, the edge of the door hitting the wall with a loud bang.

Alexei stood in the doorway, his face shiny with sweat and his breathing shallow as if he had been running all the way here. He saw me first, then he saw the little baby that I cradled in my arms and his eyes lit up with a glow that resembled a dedicated artist looking upon a rare original of his favorite painting.

Then he saw my parents. He saw their questioning faces and their narrowed eyebrows, then his face fell as he saw that the pieces puzzle together in my mother's and father's heads.

"M-my apologies for interrupting…" he said, bobbed his head and a short bow.

"We were leaving anyway", Mom said and rose from the chair. She glanced at me, lingering with her gaze at my face that probably shone of guilt like a neon sign. As she and Dad approached the door, Alexei moved aside to let them pass. He locked eyes with my mother, one steady and fierce gaze against another, before they left the room and vanished down the corridor.

For a brief moment, I felt the dreaded feeling of desolation fill my stomach and chest. They had seen him, they would remember his face whenever the topic of my son's father came up. I had tried so hard to prevent myself from exposing anything about Alexei during the time that I had been pregnant; all for nothing.

Alexei followed them with his gaze as they left, but he changed his focus from them to us within seconds. He closed the door behind him, walking with long steps up to me and our son. He sunk down beside me, turning my face towards him to give me a long but soft kiss on my lips.

"I am sorry, I should have told you that I was coming by now", he said.

I shook my head. "I should have waited to tell you that he had been born until they had left, it would have been safer."

"It does not matter now, it is too late for that", he mumbled and folded a corner of the blanket down that had shielded his son's face.

"He was born only two hours ago, but I already love him so much that I think my heart will burst", I said, smiling at him. In all honesty, I hadn't expected him to show up so soon. I thought that he would be busy with work, but he seemed to have managed to sneak away. I couldn't have gotten a better gift.

"He does not look like I thought he would", Alexei smiled and leaned his head a little to the side.

"Well, how did you think that he would look?" I laughed.

"Less red and wrinkly", he immediately admitted, a fine blush spreading over his cheeks. "May I?"

Carefully, I lifted my arms and placed the little baby in Alexei's arms, hoping that none of us would drop him. We would be the worst parents in the world if that would happen within two hours of our son's life. Of course, I hoped that we would never drop him!  
The little boy fit perfectly into Alexei's arms and he looked down on him as if he was unreal, something that might vanish if he let his eyes off him. I had never seen such a reverence in a man's eyes before; a divided tenderness and astonishment.

_I needed to capture this moment. _I reached out for my phone that I had thrown onto the edge of the bed after I had texted Alexei and clicked on the camera-app. I managed to snap one natural, and beautiful, picture before the sound of the picture being taken made his head snap up.

"Smile", I said, snapping another picture as he gave me a discreet but genuine smile. I put my phone down, taking a few seconds just to appreciate and remember the image of Alexei's first meeting with his son.

"Have you thought of a name for him?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I wanted your help with that."

"I only had one suggestion, and that would only fit if he had been a girl", Alexei admitted. "And that name would have been Nina."

I smiled at him. "Nina would have been a perfect name. But I don't think that our son will be happy that we named him after his grandmother."

Alexei chuckled. "I do not think so either. Shall we name him after someone?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't have anyone I want to name my son after, apart from you."

"You think that we shall name him Alexei?"

I shrugged my shoulders again. "Why not? Or do you have a middle-name or something?"

"Gregory", he replied, ticking his son a little on his hand. The baby's closed fist opened and closed again around Alexei's index finger. "It's after my grandfather, but he died shortly after I was born. I never knew him."

"I like the name, though", I said. Even if I wanted to name my son after Alexei, whether it was a variation of his name or literally, it might give people hints about who the father was. It was bad enough that my parents knew his face now…

He glanced up at me. "Do you want his name to be Gregory?"

I looked down on my hands. "I don't dare to give him your first name, it might make some people that know us put two and two together. But… I would like to have him named after something from you."

His expression melted into a soft smile. "It is not a bad name", he admitted. "And the thought is very kind, thank you."

I leaned closer to him, pouting my lips and received a quick kiss. "I love you."

Alexei leaned his forehead against mine. "I love you too."

* * *

_Wohoo! She had the baby! Drinks for everybody!_

_I might be able to update next weekend, I hope so, because I'm going away and I don't know how much access I will have to a computer :) I might update twice the weekend after that as a small Christmas gift to you! :)_

_Have a good weekend!  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	16. Chapter 16

**Sixteen **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

I had been a fool to think that the outcome of mine and Mirabel's brief relationship, our son Gregory, would not give any harsh consequences. I had thought that there would be a few stormy months and then the worst would be over, Mirabel and William would get their house far away from court and I would visit as often as I could to see our son.

And, worst of all, I had though that Mirabel's parents wouldn't remember my face.

* * *

Only three-four days after I had rushed to Mirabel at the hospital after Gregory's birth, I was paid a private visit by the Captain of the Queen's Guardians. Without any further presentation or small-talk, he handed me paper with the Queen's official sign on.

"What is this?" I asked.

"You have been reassigned", the Captain said. His face was a brick-wall, not showing any emotion apart from the natural and professional expression that someone would wear when bringing someone else bed news.

"Reassigned?" I asked, narrowing my eyebrows. "Where and on what grounds?"

"There is a Royal Moroi living in Moscow whose guardian has retired. He has personally written to me and the Queen asking for a new and competent guardian. We have discussed this and came to the conclusion that it would be a better chance for you to practice as a newly graduated guardian than guarding a child. Besides, you will have the opportunity to return to Russia for a little while."

"I do not wish to return to Russia", I said. I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. This could not be a coincidence, there was no chance that they suddenly decided to reassign me to another Moroi six months after I graduated.

The lump in my stomach increased and seemed to get heavier. I could feel deep inside the pit of my stomach that this was the punishment for my short-lived happiness that had grown over the months of Mirabel's pregnancy. I had known, though I refused to realize it, that I wouldn't get out of this for free.

"The decision and the arrangements have been made, you will be welcomed back to your old assignment upon your return", the Captain said. The tone of his voice was clear; this was nothing to argue about and no chance to make a deal, everything was arranged, signed and sealed.

"And for how long will my new assignment last?" I asked, glancing down on the paper that would force me away from Mirabel and little Gregory.

"For as long as he needs your services."

He didn't await an answer, neither an accepting nor a declining, and left me after a short goodbye. I read the short lines on the official paper, feeling my stomach sink after every line.

"_Alexei Boyarov,_

_Your position as the official guardian to Lucas Dragomir, son to our Royal Highness Queen Vasilisa Dragomir and her husband, Christian Ozera, has been reassigned effective 15 January. _

_You are being reassigned as the official guardian to Lord Igor Zeklos in Moscow, Russia. The reassignment takes place with immediate notice and additional information such as date and time of flight and information about your new assignment will be provided within the end of the week. _

_Sincerely,_

_Hank Simmons, Captain of the Queen's Guardians."_

* * *

I couldn't even bring myself to pick up the phone and call Mirabel. I felt completely paralyzed. I didn't care about the job or that my assignment to the Dragomir prince had been changed, I could be a good guardian regardless of whom I guarded.

But I was being moved to _Russia. _It was as far away from Mirabel and Gregory as I could get. I was almost 100 % positive that either Mirabel's mother or father (or perhaps even both) had a finger in this. This was sudden, this wasn't random or a coincidence. My reassignment had been a request. Common views or a thick was of money could have made sure that this solved easily, the Captain of the Guardians could easily make relocations on his own, and without anyone else's consent.

I gathered my thoughts for 15 more minutes, then I picked my phone up and dialed Mirabel's number.

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_

I slammed the living room door behind me, ignoring the rattling noise from the glass cabinets where the fine chine was held and the frightened flinch from my parents.

"What they hell have you two done?!" I yelled, hot tears from both fury and sorrow burning in my eyes. Gregory was sleeping upstairs, although I thought that I had woken him up with my yelling and slamming.

Mom put her small glass of brandy down on the table. "What are you talking about?"

I closed my fist, pressing them tightly against my thighs. "Don't even dare to deny this! Alexei has been reassigned with immediate notice and one or both of you have your whole hand in this!"

"We needed to make you understand that everything will be so much easier when he is not around, you will be able to go on with your life."

"He is my life! He is the father of my son, your grandson!" I yelled, pointing towards the upper floor where Gregory was, hopefully, sleeping. "You two have no right to interfere with my life!"

"We wouldn't have done that unless we hadn't deemed it necessary", Mom tried to explain calmly, but I could see the annoyance rise in her.

I couldn't believe this. I had thought it bad enough that he wouldn't be so involved in Gregory's life as I would have wished, due to his time-consuming job. But I hadn't considered this, I hadn't even thought that it would be a possibility that my own mother and father could ruin my life with just a few quick calls and the right person to sign a paper.

"Alexei's departure will give you an opportunity to fully concentrate on your future. Soon you and William will have to talk about how you two will proceed with your relationship and you should be wise to do that as soon as possible."

"I just had a baby a few days ago, I will not proceed with _any_ relationship unless it is with my son", I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I almost felt like laughing out of sheer chock. This was absurd; my own parents bringing me into despair moments after I left the hospital with their grandson.

Mom abruptly rose from her seat. "I don't care what sort of arrangement or relation you and William Ozera have and I will not accept that you bury yourself into your own misery over that your Dhampir lover is leaving the country. William Ozera offers an opportunity to take the right path in your life and you are wise to follow that!"

I fastened my eyes on her. "My arrangement with William was actually something that I could go through with, an arrangement where we would all be pleased. Your involvement has ruined that."

"Your arrangement with William Ozera will _not _change because of this. If it does, you can be sure that this Alexei will never set his foot on American ground again."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you _threatening_ me?"

My mother's slim eyebrows narrowed. "I am trying to make you understand. If you had been a non-royal Moroi, this wouldn't have been as much of a fuss. But you were born into a Royal family, a family that has standards to live up to!"

_Standards, decency, royals and bastards. _The words swirled around in my head and gave me a fierce headache. Had Alexei's mother, Nina, gone through all this as well when she had Alexei? Probably not, since she hadn't been a royal Moroi and _"didn't have any standards to live up to". _

"I don't care about standards", I said. "And I am starting to wish that I wasn't born into a family with them."

Mom's lips pressed together into a thin line. On the top floor, I heard the strained cries of Gregory waking up.

"Your son is crying", she said, nodding towards the top floor.

"I can hear that", I said between my teeth. I gave them both a furious glance, making sure that the message containing exactly how I felt in this situation went though, and headed back upstairs to nurse my son.

* * *

I didn't sleep at all that night. I stayed up, Gregory in my arms, and let one hour after another pass until I felt my eyelids drop with sleepiness. I spent the entire time looking at Gregory, trying to find anything that was a similarity or the same as Alexei. Whether he was awake, laying between my knees on my bed, or feeding by my chest didn't matter; I tried to find everything that I could that would remind me of Alexei for the indefinite time that he would be away. Only one little detail that that I could cling to was enough.

When the clock reached 4 pm (four in the morning for me), my eyes were swollen and throbbing after all the tears and my head was numb and thick from the exhaustion and all the thoughts that had passed through during the night.

How would I live through this?

I had lived on the fact that he would be able to visit once in a while after William and I got a house and were allowed to live our own lives again. But now, since Alexei would be sent back to Russia, I had no idea of when I would see him again.

If I was unlucky, I might never see him again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Seventeen**

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_End of January_

The plane ride between New York and Moscow took 10 hours, but felt as if it took at least twice as long. Any sort of entertainment offered on the plane - movies, music or games - seemed completely useless since there was nothing here that could take my mind off my situation. Despite my age, I had been sulking like a grumpy child the first three hours and the entire time at JFK airport in New York. Then, as I realized that it wouldn't help me in any way, I had tried to find at least something cheerful or positive with the relocation. I couldn't find any.  
Instead, I had taken most of the flight time to go through the information file on my new assignment.

_Name: Zeklos, Igor._

_Born: March 15__th__ 1956, St. Petersburg, Russia._

_Married for 33 years to Irina Zeklos (née Kovaleva) and resident in Moscow, Russia. No mutual children. _

_Occupation: Auditor for_ _"Антипов __A__удит__" (Antipov's Audit). Forced into early retirement after a mild heart attack two years ago. _

It was a very short file. It didn't seem like the person who wrote it hadn't put much effort into providing me with information on my new assignment. I tossed the file onto the empty seat next to me and leaned back, folding my hands over my stomach. I still had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that the whole situation was completely unreal. I had just became a father, _a father, _to the most handsome son that anyone had ever seen. And just because of that, and because his mother's parents didn't approve of who had gotten her pregnant, I had been forced away.

Perhaps it was karma, but I should have known better. Things had gone so well that I shouldn't have expected that it to last forever.

* * *

I landed in the early evening at Domodedovo Moscow Airport. A Guardian in his early 50's waited for me by the arrival's hall; I could spot him immediately by his guarding posture and constant need of superintendence. He had the squarest jaw that I had ever seen on a man and two slim eyes that followed my every movement like the eyes of a hawk. He both intimidated and impressed me.

"Alexei Boyarov?" He asked me in Russian as I approached. "My name is Ruslan Pavlik."

After a formal handshake and without delay, he turned his back to me and began to walk towards the entrance and towards a waiting car. A thick layer of snow covered the ground and the corner of the roads and the clouds on the gloomy sky threatened to thicken that layer. With a temperature of -15º C (5º F), the wind was chilly and seeped through my thin jeans.

"Have you read the file on Mr. Zeklos?" Guardian Pavlik asked.

I nodded. "I have, but it was not very elaborate."

Guardian Pavlik gave me a small smile. "My apologies for that. It was over 30 years ago since he was assigned a new guardian and the old guardian's retirement was sudden though not unexpected. That information was rapidly put together."

"No worries", I said.

"Mr. Zeklos has not worked for almost two years, yet he still attends several important Moroi gatherings in Moscow and sometimes in other cities which is why he is in need of more than one guardian", Guardian Pavlik explained. "The first weeks from now I want you to pay extra attention to how me and Mr. Zeklos work. Watch us and learn. His heart attack gave him some reduced function and strength in the left side of his body, mostly in his left arm, but he can do everyday tasks but he walks with a cane for additional support", he continued.

"What about his wife? Does she have any guardians?"

Pavlik shook his head. "She is only royal through her marriage to Mr. Zeklos, she usually gets the protection of one of us guardians when she is out on important business or events."

"Why did the old guardian retire?" I asked. "If I may ask?"

"Wear damage", Guardian Pavlik said with a small hint of sympathy in his expression. "This work takes its toll on our bodies, Guardian Boyarov. Years can pass without even a hint of action and suddenly, when something happens, an old man's body might not be able to keep up. Guardian Nikolev injured himself during training several years ago and never completely recovered. It finally caught up with him."

"What a shame", I mumbled.

"Do you own a cellphone", Guardian Pavlik suddenly asked.

I shook my head. "No."

He reached out across me and opened the glove compartment. Without taking his eyes off the road, he rumbled through the stuff and picked out a cellphone. Without a word, he handed it to me. I weighed the phone in my hand; it was slim and black, not larger than half of my palm. The screen was shiny and with only one slim scratch in the corner. Clearly, it had been used, but it was in good condition.

"You can use this meanwhile", he said. "Until you can buy one of your own. It will make our job as guardians easier when we have a way to communicate."

I looked down on the phone in my hands. I had never owned a phone before, the Academy here in Russia never allowed us to own a phone and I had never wondered if they allowed it at St. Vladimir's. I knew that Mirabel had a cellphone, though I didn't know her number, and this… this meant that I could communicate with her. And when I bought my own, it meant that I could talk to her without it being anyone else's business. With that thought, a small light of hope lit up in my chest.

"Thank you."

* * *

The house of Mr. and Mrs. Zeklos was located in a small town about one and a half hours from Domodedovo Moscow Airport. It was a large, red two-floor house, secluded from the other houses in the town and surrounded by a high hedge that sheltered the house from all view. All the large windows were, on the inside, covered with curtains.

As we entered the house, a strong scent of coffee along with the scent of cleanser hit my nose. The sound of a hoover was heard from the top floor and an empty bucket with a rag in stood in the hallway.

The inside of the house looked like any other house owned by a wealthy couple in their 60's; thick carpets on the floor, expensive paintings on the walls and a vitrine filled with different types of scotch, whiskeys and liqueurs. The design looked as if It hadn't changed since the 80's; pastel colours on the walls, a kitchen that was open towards the dining hall, and loose covers in white-blue stripes covered the sofa's and the armchairs.

The door closed behind us and a human woman peeked out from behind the wall that separated the hallway from what might be the living room. She was young, perhaps in her early or mid-20's, and dressed in a simple black dress with a white apron that clearly indicated that she was a maid in the household. It wasn't that revealing type of maid's outfit; the neckline reached just below her collarbone, and the edge below her knees. Her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head and several bite-marks was clearly visible around her throat.

She gave Guardian Pavlik and me a sweet smile. "Welcome back, Ruslan", she greeted us. She spoke slowly and with a slightly dreamy tone, I had a feeling that she was still affected from the endorphins of a Moroi bite.

"Thank you Ania. Is Mrs. Zeklos home?"

Ania nodded. "Mrs. Irina is resting. She said that she will be down for dinner."

"Mrs. Zeklos suffers from constant migraines", Guardian Pavlik explained. "On a bad day, she rests for most of the time."

Ania turned her eyes towards me, giving me another dreamy smile. "Are you new?"

I nodded. "My name is Alexei, I am- -" I trailed off, unsure of how much the maid knew. She was clearly a feeder to Mr. and Mrs. Zeklos, but she could still be kept in the blue about the world she worked in.

"He is the new guardian", Guardian Pavlik filled in.

"Oh", Ania said simply, as if she just had forgotten that I would arrive today. "Shall I show you to your room?"

Guardian Pavlik nodded at me. "Follow her, I will take care of some business meanwhile."

I started to follow Ania, who turned around to show me to my room, but she rapidly spun back again. "Oh! Mr. Zeklos is at the post office, but he never said a time when he would be back."

Guardian Pavlik flinched and narrowed his eyebrows. "He left without me? Could he not wait until I returned?"

"He said that it was urgent. He said that he would survive a trip to the post office without running into trouble."

He sighed. "When did he leave?"

"A little while ago? Around four?", Ania said, though she sounded doubtful. "Shortly before you arrived home."

Guardian Pavlik let out a sigh and vanished upstairs while Ania urged me to follow her with a light nod. She took me through the hallway, past the family room until we reached two of the small downstairs bedrooms.

She opened the door furthest to the left. "This is your room", she said, stepping aisde so that I had a chance to step inside. It was a small room, not much bigger than my room at the Academy. It had a single window, decorated with a pair of hideous drapes. It only contained a bed, a drawer and a nightstand, all looking as if it was bought from IKEA.

"Sabina and I share the room next to you", Ania informed me. I didn't know who Sabina was, but I assumed that she was another maid.

"Supper will be served in an hour, you have some time to unpack before then."

"Thank you", I said to her, but she had already left.

* * *

I got an hour, perhaps an hour and a half to unpack and settle in a little in the room that would be my residence for the indefinite time that I would be here in Russia. Imagine that; I spent half my time wondering when I finally could go back to Russia, to my familiar life, when I left overseas. Now, when I finally got as I wished, I wanted nothing more than to return to America.

I unpacked in slow-motion, taking my time re-folding clothes that had been messed up in the suitcase. Most of what I owned fit into one single drawer, the few shirts, pants and underwear barely took up 2/3 of the drawer. My other possessions; my mother's book, a small heart-shaped rock that Mirabel had found in a park at Court in Pennsylvania and an envelope with a thin collection of family photos that I had stolen from my grandmother's photo albums several years ago, I placed either into the drawer or on the nightstand.

Most of the family photos were of my mother at many different ages, and some of them taken along with me after I was born. I remembered very little of my mother since she died when I was so young, and if I hadn't taken those photos I wouldn't even remember what she looked like.

She had been beautiful, with black hair that reached down to the small of her back. I had vague memories of watching her braid that hair into a thick braid every morning, sometimes even twisting the braid into a bun at the back of her neck. Her eyes had a warm and soft brown colour, almost like melted caramel. Our differences in eye colour meant that I must have gotten my dark brown eyes from my father, which was the only thing that I was sure that I had gotten from him.  
Her face was oval with round cheeks and a slightly pointy chin. High cheekbones gave her the impression of having apple cheeks and her curved lips left a lingering smile on her face.

I didn't often think about it, but I was sadder of never having the chance of knowing my parents than to think that perhaps both of them were dead. I had so many questions that I would never get the answers to. What had they been like? What had drawn them together?

I shot a short glance at my mother's '_The Green Mile' _that I had placed on my nightstand. Would we have enjoyed the same books? What kind of music had she listened to?

But right now, I wanted her advice on Mirabel and Gregory. I wanted her comfort that everything will be okay, that I would see then again and not be kept apart from my son and my girlfriend. Also, I wanted to know what could have been different if my mother had been alive. Since she too had been a Moroi with a Dhampir child, could she have been a "safe haven" for us? Could she have accepted our relationship in a way that no one else did?

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed a small drop of water landing on the face of my smiling mother. I hadn't even noticed that my eyes had started to tear up by the thoughts of how different my life could have been if my mother hadn't decided to visit her friend in America just that week.

I dried the tear away and put the photo aside, pushing any following thoughts aside and resumed with unpacking my bag.

* * *

When my suitcase was empty and tucked in under my bed, I sunk down onto the covers. As I looked around, seeing my things placed out in this room, I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I hadn't felt anything similar before, not even when I left Russia for America. Then, I had been scared that I didn't know the language enough to be able to make myself understood or that I would be way behind in my training compared to the American academies.

All those worries seemed so silly now. I hadn't had anything in Russia; my mother was dead, my father unknown, no siblings and my grandmother passed on a few years after my mother. I had had some friends in school, some very close, but none of us was very active with keeping in touch after I moved. What did I have to miss? Going to America wasn't going to change all that.

Then I met Mirabel.

Her arrival into my life had both been scary and welcomed. She wasn't like any other girl I'd ever met. I had had some short relationships in school, none that was very serious and none lasted longer than two months, but I had felt that something was different as soon as I met her gaze in the cafeteria that day. And that feeling hadn't been scary.  
However, it had been scary to engage in a relationship with her. It had been unfamiliar grounds, which I didn't particularly liked, and I had been scared of in what ways she would distract me from my training. But when the feelings of intrigue and interest began to grow into something that I assumed was love (assumed since I had never felt like this before), it wasn't frightening anymore.

Her company had been so comfortable, I didn't need to keep up an unyielding facade of a novice close to graduation or keep the public politeness up. With her, I relaxed like I hadn't done around any other girl before, I could be myself. With her, I had everything I could ever wish for.

I almost had to fight back tears in my eyes as the uneasy feeling in my stomach spread upwards, crafting an aching yearning in my chest. I quickly rose from the bed and exited the room, needing to occupy myself with something before I broke down completely.

_I missed her and Gregory so much that my heart ached. _

* * *

Ania knocked on my door when it was time for dinner. She waited outside when I opened the door, a polite smile on her lips.

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

I nodded. "A little."

"Good! Sabina has made priozhki", she explained.

My stomach growled just by the name. I hadn't had Russia cuisine since I moved and I would lie if I said that I hadn't missed it. Priochki was like a pirogue and could be filled with a variation of contents; meat, vegetables, mushrooms, eggs and so on, and glazed with egg to make the buns golden-coloured and crispy on top. Simply, they were delicious.

"Sabina is the other maid", Ania explained, even though I hadn't asked. "But she is also the cook."

I only nodded that I had heard her and followed her into the dining room. There were two women present, one that I assumed was Sabina, at least two decades older than Ania though in the same uniform, and the other one had to be Mr. Zeklos wife, Irina.

She was a very elegant woman in her early 60's. She was casually make-upped (even though I got the impression that she rested most of her days at home because of her migraine) and her greyish, shoulder length hair elegantly curled from rollers. I could smell her perfume from the opening to the dining room, a very flowery and female scent that definitely fitted an older woman. Also, I could tell only by the way that she sipped on her glass of red wine that she was a woman who maintained a sophisticated appearance even on a day at home.

She gave me a look as I entered and gave me a polite and surprisingly soft smile. "Ania told me that you had arrived. I am sorry that I could not greet you, I suffer from terrible headaches in the afternoons."

"I understand, Ma'am. I have been very well taken care of."

"Good", she smiled. "Igor is out on an errand, we're not expecting him home for dinner."

She added the last line with a bit of resentment, though obviously clear that late-evening errands wasn't much appreciated.

The table was set for three people, but I didn't dare to assume that one of those plates was for me. The guardian's place in the family he was guarding looked different everywhere. In some families, they were considered a part of the family while in others they didn't even eat at the same table.

Luckily, Mrs. Zeklos solved the socially awkward situation for me. "Please, have a seat. Ruslan usually joins me for dinner if he is home, I enjoy the company."

I sunk down on the seat, discreetly looking around in the dining room as Mrs. Zeklos refilled her glass of wine. One of the paintings on the wall caught my attention for a couple of seconds, a painting of a naked woman dancing with her private parts covered by flowers while a man was bleeding heavily from a stab in the chest beneath her feet. It was a very visual and macabre painting, not something that I would have in my field of vision as I was eating. The rest of the paintings were easier on the eyes, the majority of them of food or landscapes.

Guardian Pavlik joined us as Sabina served the priozhki. I devoured the stuffed pirogues in silence, neither Guardian Pavlik nor Mrs. Zeklos said anything to break the silence either.

I had nothing to say, I couldn't think about one single topic to talk about. Perhaps everyone would lighten up in a few days, I certainly hoped so. I turned my focus to my priozhki and listened to the ticking of the dining room clock.

It was a relief when the door opened in the hallway and stomping steps announced that Mr. Zeklos himself had arrived home. Immediately, Irina Zeklos rose from the table and emptied the last sip of her wine glass.

"I think that I should rest some more", she excused herself and turned to Sabina in the opening of the kitchen. "Dinner was delicious, thank you."

She said goodnight to me and Guardian Pavlik with a short nod before leaving the dining room and vanishing up stairs. I didn't have much time to think about why she left dinner so abruptly and left before she had time to greet her husband as Igor Zeklos entered the dining room with a large package carried under his arm.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had been a man that had attracted a lot of young women in his youth and though he was over 60 years old, he still looked as if he could get some of the ladies from an older generation to turn their heads. He was a tall man, probably reaching a little over 6'2 and still looked rather fit, though no Moroi seemed to be able to gain weight no matter how hard they tried. His previously dark brown hair was now dominated by grey streaks and his face lined with close wrinkles.

"You must be my new guardian", he said to me in Russian and held out his hand for me to shake.

I rose from my seat. "Yes, I am. It is a pleasure to meet you", I replied, shaking his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine", he smiled politely. "I hope that you made it here without trouble?"

"Yes, I did."

"Good", he smiled before turning to Guardian Pavlik. "Is Irina still resting?"

"Yes, she went back up shortly before you came home", Guardian Pavlik said. "And we need to discuss that you left the house without a guardian."

Silently, I watched Mr. Zeklos's reaction to his guardian's light scolding. Judging by my first impression of him, I would have expected him to scold Guardian Pavlik back for telling him off in the first place. However, Mr. Zeklos lips widened into a full smile that exposed both of his fangs and let out a very sincere laugh.

He gave Guardian Pavlik a pat on the back. "And you have said for years that you are not my babysitter, Ruslan!"

"I'm not", he remarked with a light smile before he turned his attention to me. "Mr. Zeklos will be making a journey to Prague later this week, we'll go through the details around 7 o'clock tomorrow morning."

I nodded that I had understood and, although it might not have been explicitly said, took it as my cue to return to my room.

* * *

_I promised you two chapters! It's closing in on Christmas and I will take a short break until shortly after New Years :) I have an exam in the beginning of January and I might need some time to focus on the studies :) _

_Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	18. Chapter 18

**Eighteen**

**_Rose Hathaway-Belikova_**  
_August, eight months earlier_

The rain was pattering softly against the window, the small drops of water chasing each other down the glass before eventually catching up with each other and merging into one trail. The sun was setting at the horizon, though the sky was still as blue as if it had been in the middle of the day. A cup of hot chocolate, that had been hot when I made it, had grown cold as it stood on the living room table in front of me, I had completely forgotten to drink it.

I had so many thoughts swirling inside my head. I had managed to keep quiet for almost a month about my suspicions that Dimitri had an 18-year-old son, but I wasn't sure for how long I could keep it a secret. I had so many questions that needed an answer, if I ever dared to ask them.

_How would Dimitri react to the fact that he was a father? Would he be happy or deny it? Why had Alexei's mother keep him a secret from Dimitri? _

I knew that that only way to get an answer to these questions was to tell Dimitri about this. But I wasn't ready to lay this out on the table. By revealing this, I might start a cycle of events that I wasn't ready for. If Alexei truly was Dimitri's son (in all honesty, I didn't really have any proof), that meant that I was his stepmother. And I sure as hell isn't ready to be a stepmother to an 18 year old kid!

"Rose?"

Dimitri's sharp tone snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my head to him. His expression, a mix of annoyance and amusement, led me to believe that it wasn't the first time that he tried to get my attention.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Dinner's ready, do you want something to eat?"

I turned my gaze down, suddenly feeling ashamed. I was so caught up in my own thoughts and problems that I hadn't even thought about what we would eat for dinner tonight. I didn't think that I thought about it yesterday either, or last week.

"Yes, thank you", I said, rising from the sofa. "I'm sorry that I left you to do everything."

Dimitri met me halfway into the living room and placed a light kiss on my forehead. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer into his safe and warm embrace. I leaned my head against his shoulder, my forehead touching the warm skin at the side of this throat.

"What's troubling you, Roza?" He mumbled, leaning his unshaved cheek against mine. "I can feel that something is distressing you."

I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from saying that it was nothing or that he shouldn't worry about it. I didn't want to lie and I didn't want to have secrets from Dimitri. But... I'd rather not tell the truth either.

"I'm not sure that you want to know", I warned him.

"I want to know everything if it's making your eyebrows frown like that", he said and rubbed the tip of his nose against the supposed frown that I had between my eyebrows.

I swallowed down a mouthful of saliva that suddenly seemed to be a lot more than usual. I took a deep breath. "Do you remember Alexei Boyarov?"

Dimitri nodded. "The novice that we trained for Lucas, yes. Why?"

I moved away a little, enough to allow me to face him but not enough so that he had to let go of me. Dimitri eyed me, giving me a small nod that I should continue.

"I..." I started, clearing my throat. "I think that he is your son."

Another person might have laughed out loud in absurdity or thinking that I was joking, but not Dimitri. He hardly even raised an eyebrow. He was that used to my wacky theories and trusting them. Or he just knew well enough to ask the questions before he called me crazy. That time when I called him out on not supporting me enough when I first started seeing Mason's ghost had made sure of that.

So instead of laughing or calling me crazy he just asked one simple question. "Why do you think that?"

I bit my lip, immediately regretting that I had opened my mouth in the first place. What if I was completely wrong and Alexei wasn't Dimitri's son? Damn, I would be the stupidest and most paranoid woman on this planet.

"Roza?"

Without any further hesitation, I began to count up my facts; their similarities in appearance, their common heritage, Dimitri's high school relationship with Alexei's mother and the fact that he was born six months after they graduated.

With every fact that I counted up, I could see Dimitri's expression go from somewhat surprised to completely blank. Slowly, he let his hands fall from my waist and a small frown appeared between his eyebrows.

"Dimitri?" I asked, but if he heard me he didn't react. He turned away from me, crossing his arms over his chest. Slowly, he turned towards the window and distantly looked out on the rainy landscape outside.

There was an absent look on his face, preoccupied and almost quizzical. He wasn't unreadable, I could guess what was going on in his head. On this focused expression, I could see that he was twisting are turning every angle of this aspect. He was analysing, considering, and drew his own conclusions from the information that I had given him. If I was possible, I would have been able to see smoke coming out from his head by now.

I wasn't sure that to do. _Comfort him? Give him space? Try to talk to him?_  
I wanted to take him in my arms and hug him as hard as I could, but I could see already that it wouldn't help him. Quietly, I sunk back in the sofa.

* * *

The following hour passed very slowly. Dimitri had stopped staring out of the window and had begun pacing back and forth in front of the sofa. I hadn't been sure about what reaction I had expected from him. _Anger? Distress? Happiness? _His gaze was deeply embedded on the living room carpet and he repeatedly rubbed the nape of his neck, as if he was trying to massage his head.

I had seen Dimitri perform perfectly under pressure, I had fought alongside him and I had fought against him. I had seen him brave, lethal, passionate angry. I had even seen him breaking down in tears when Lissa brought him back to a Dhampir and then the look of forced rejection he gave me after that with those terrible words _love fades. Mine has._ However, I couldn't recall seeing him under this kind of emotional distress.

"For how long have you known?" He finally asked. He didn't seem to believe that it was only a theory.

"Almost a month", I admitted. "I looked into his record at his graduation and found this Nina listed as his mother and that he was born almost half a year after your graduation."

"I found a photo", Dimitri said, turning from the window to look at me. "When I was down in the archives to look at the Badica file I found a photo of Nina with a little boy. Someone had written their names on the backside; Nina and Alexei."

"You couldn't know that he was her son", I said. "It could have been a sibling."

"I never realized that he looked like me, even then", he said without acknowledging that he had heard me and vanished into the hallway. Following him, I saw him dig through the inner pockets of his jacket before he pulled out a folded photograph. Slowly, as if he was unfolding a secret, he unfolded the photo and handed it to me.

Nina didn't look like I had imagined, that could be because I had never asked Dimitri to describe her for me. She was pretty, tall, slim and pale like any other Moroi with black hair, light brown eyes and cheekbones to die for.

Alexei could have been about five or six when this photo was taken. He definitely had inherited his hair colour from his mother but there was no mistake that his eyes had the same soft, dark brown colour as his father - Dimitri's eyes.

"Neither did I", I mumbled.

"Why would she keep him a secret from me?" Dimitri asked, pulling his fingers through his hair. "What does he know? Why didn't he say anything when we met him?"

I had a feeling that he was purposely avoiding saying Alexei's name.

"Perhaps he doesn't know either", I said. "There wasn't a father listed in his files and he was very young when Nina died. He was practically raised at St. Basil's."

Dimitri began to rub his temples with his fingertips. "So if Alexei doesn't know anything and Nina had been dead for the past 13 years, is there anyone that can confirm or deny any of this?"

"Nina's parents?" I suggested.

"Perhaps, if she even told them who Alexei's father was. I know that her father died when she was little but her mother might still be alive."

I closed the distance between us with only two steps and placed both my hands behind his neck, leaning in for a brief kiss. I could feel the tension in his neck muscles.

"Is that where we should start? Contacting Nina's mother?"

Dimitri closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against mine with a light sigh. "My Roza... I don't know what I have done to deserve you."

"Something bad", I joked and saw him smile lightly. "Did you think that I was going to let you go through this on your own? I did promise you several things when we got married."

Dimitri let out a short chuckle and pressed his soft lips against mine. "I know that you did."

* * *

_January, four months before present time_

Unfortunately, all of mine and Dimitri's research lead to dead ends. Nina's mother had been deceased for over 10 years and Nina didn't appear to have had any close relationship to any aunts or uncles either before she died. The Russian equivalent to the governmental office where one could get their birth certificate didn't have a record of Alexei's father either (though I wondered how what kind of people worked there since the man with very little fuss agreed to take a look on his certificate as soon as Dimitri said that he thought that he was his father). It almost seemed impossible to find someone who knew the identity of Alexei's father. Everyone who might have known was either dead or we didn't know who they were, we didn't even know if Nina had told a friend who had made her pregnant.

* * *

After Alexei's graduation in august, there was plenty of Moroi who wanted him for a guardian for his good grades and spotless records. He would have been a guardian to any lord or lady - or a prince or a princess for that matter - of the royal family unless he had been promised to guard Lissa's son.

And damn, that kid was patient. Guarding a 4-year-old couldn't have been the most fun job in the business, however it was better than a desk job, and he did more babysitting than a guarding. Little Lucas went to a child-minder just outside of the Court's grounds, meaning that he was in need of a guardian even if he lived inside of Court. His older sister had been with the same lady until this autumn when she grew old enough to start school.

Alexei took him to school into the morning (or morning for the creatures of the night) and spent the entire day lingering in the background as the children played, napping, ate and had a story read to them. Apparently, of what Lissa had told me, Lucas was growing fond of him, or at least used to having him around.

"And have you heard anything from Leah?" I asked, casually turning the pages in the gossip magazine that I had found by Liss's bed. "How does she like school?"

Lissa's face got a mixture of longing and love on her face. "She misses us, you and Dimitri. But she says that she has made some new friends in class and she isn't having any trouble with her homework."

It was at times like this that I was happy that the bond between us had been broken several years ago. Of course, I loved Leah and Lucas more than any other child that I knew, but I don't know how I would handle missing her as if she was my own daughter.

"She has always been a bright girl", I agreed. "And like her mother, she has it easy when making friends."

Lissa's slim lips widened into a smile. She turned from me for a second to take out three different outfits from her closet. She was obliged to attend to a late council meeting tonight and couldn't decide on an outfit.

"Classy business or elegant casual?" She asked, holding up a female business dress with a blouse and a skirt in her right hand and a buttoned shirt and straight black pants in her left.

I looked up from the magazine and studied the outfits for a few seconds. "Classy business."

Liss put the elegant casual clothes away and began to change out from her sweatpants and tank top.

She sighed. "I don't understand how parents can send their children away and act as if they don't miss them. Every day I want to pick up the phone and call her home."

I snorted. "And what? Have her home schooled? I can teach her how to defend herself."

Lissa rolled her eyes. "That's far more tempting than you think."

A heavy knock on the door interrupted us and I rapidly sprung out of bed.

"Are you expecting someone?" I asked.

Lissa nodded. "Yeah, I asked Alexei to bring Lucas here after kindergarten so that I can give him a big hug before that damn meeting. Come in!"

She yelled that last part and the handle pressed down. The heavy door had only opened a little when the 4-year-old slipped through.

"Mom!" Lucas shrieked with delight and ran across the room with his arms stretched out towards Lissa. He still had small snow crystals in his black hair from the playing outside. He tried to jump right into her arms, but she grabbed him under his arms and picked him up.

"You're getting big, darling", she smiled and placed a light kiss on his chubby cheek. "Did you have fun today?"

Lucas nodded. "I drew almost 100 pictures!"

"Oh you did?" Lissa said. "Did you bring all the 100 pictures home do that I can see them?"

Lucas nodded again and began to wriggle out of his mother's grasp. Alexei kneeled, still standing in the doorway, and handed Lucas his batman backpack to him. After some difficulty with the zipper, Lucas held up a file with about 15-20 papers. He spread them out on the floor, concentrating hard on the names that he had written in colourful crayons on the back, and arranged them into piles.

He grabbed one of the piles and ran with them to Lissa. "To you and Dad!"

He picked up another pile. "To Leah!"

He fetched the last pile and ran with them to me. "To you and Dimti!"

Dimti, which was Lucas's way of pronouncing Dimitri, was almost as adorable as when his niece and nephews called him Dimka.

I felt my lips pulls into a smile. "Thank you!"

I pointed to one of the images with a stick figure holding a very odd-looking grey stone on it. "What's that?"

"That's Dimti showing me his silver stake", Lucas explained. "He said that it was not s toy."

"It's not", I clarified and shot a glance at Lissa. She didn't seemed worried at all that Dimitri had exposed her son to a weapon meant to kill things with. Lucas blue eyes twinkled with delight that we all liked his drawings and he ran back to Lissa to ask her opinion.

In the doorway, Alexei suddenly cleared his throat to get our attention.

Lissa lifted her head from her son's drawings. "Yes?"

"Your Majesty, I - -" he began, trailing off a little as he glanced towards me. Despite his likeness with Dimitri, his slight insecurity of speaking to the Queen made him look his age. "I have a question."

"Go ahead", Lissa smiled.

"I was wondering what will happen to me when Prince Lucas starts school?"

It was clear that the question caught Lissa off guard, but she made no effort to hide it. "Oh, I haven't thought about that. It's a while left but I doubt that you will be without a job, you were a quite popular choice when you graduated. Do you wish to be reassigned?"

"No!" Alexei said rapidly. "I was just curious"

Lissa rose from the floor and left Lucas to his drawings. "Well, if you have any own wishes or suggestions, I will be happy to take them under consideration."

Alexei gave her a small smile, a sweet and polite smile that resembled the ones that Dimitri used to give me. It was a very odd feeling to see a smile, even a resemblance of a smile, which I loved so much on a boy that I hardly knew.

"Thank you, Your Majesty", he said and gave her a short bow. He also nodded his head in a polite gesture to me. "Guardian Hathaway."

"Guardian Boyarov", I said back before he left and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Since Lissa was going to her council meeting and I wasn't obliged to attend, I could go home early. Christian would spend the evening with Lucas which meant that Dimitri also would be home a little earlier, I could figure out many things funnier than listening to old Moroi babbling for 4 hours.

With my bag thrown over my shoulder, I made my way past the take-away shops and got myself a pre-dinner snack before I headed to the guardian residential complex. Stepping outside in the freezing winter morning, I regretted having bought a bagel with my hot chocolate since my hand wasn't being heated up by neither a glove nor a hot cup. I would have to eat it quickly, which wouldn't be a problem.

Normally, I disliked the winter with the cold weather and the thick clothes that made feel like a stuffed turkey which definitely wasn't optional for fighting in if anything should happen. However, sometimes I had to admit the beauty in the cold season. The ground was covered with a thick layer of snow and the branches on the trees around me were coated in a white mask that almost shimmered like small diamonds in the golden morning light. The sun shone through the trees and cast stripes of light on the snowy ground below the light morning mist.

By the crossing between the Royal Park and a Moroi office building, I spotted Dimitri's tall figure standing with his back towards me, speaking rapidly on the phone with someone. I was just about to call for him when my phone began to vibrate in my jacket pocket.

I narrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I read 'Dimitri' on the display. It took me less than a second now to realize that it wasn't Dimitri standing a few feet head of me, it was Alexei. _Damn them, they look so alike from behind. _

"Hello?" I answered. "Where are you?"

"At home, I was going to ask you when you would be here."

"I'm on my back, it won't be long", I said.

"Good, I love you", Dimitri said before he disconnected.

"Bye", I mumbled quietly to myself and put my phone away. In front of me, Alexei pulled his fingers through his short hair and put his phone away before walking with rapid steps towards the Court's entrance. I didn't see his face, but he seemed distressed by the call and in a hurry to be somewhere. I didn't start to resume walking until Alexei's tall figure had vanished into the mist of the winter morning.

* * *

I was ready to groan out loud with relief when I finally was allowed to move my limbs after standing in the same spot for the past three hours. Lissa had been in a closed meeting with her council for almost the entire day, mostly discussing and drawing up lines and terms for a "renewal contract" with the Alchemists. Nothing had been the same between the Moroi and the Alchemists (although it hadn't been very good in the first place) ever since Adrian married Sydney several years ago and Lissa stood up for them when they claimed some kind of sanctuary in the Moroi Court.

It took several years before the Moroi could establish some kind of agreement with the Alchemists again but it had slowly been restored to a somewhat normal relationship. However, the Alchemists had been keen on changing the agreement and wanted the Moroi to submit any changes that they wanted to make.

_Very interesting. _

By the time that the council dissolved, my lower back and legs were stiff from standing on the same spot in almost the same position. I was sure that everyone had heard my low noises of discomfort during the meeting. Dimitri, who had been placed across the room from me, had watched me almost the entire time when he wasn't watching anything else. He had smiled amusingly at me and he hadn't seemed to find the constant standing uncomfortable.

"How can you keep your head straight during all that?" I asked. "It's bad enough having to listen to it, it must be unbearably boring to actually be a part of the discussion."

Lissa sent me an amused glare. "I'm doing what I can to establish a good contact between the Moroi and the Alchemists. I'm setting the new foundation for the future relationship between us, it is important business."

"I'm glad you enjoy it", I said, rather sarcastically, and began to stretch my neck and arms to get rid of the stiffness. "You owe me a massage for this."

Lissa chuckled as she gathered her papers into a file. "This is your job, Rose."

"Alright,_ you _could use a massage after this", I said, seeing Dimitri rolling his eyes at my urging for a massage.

"We can take an entire spa-day when I have a day off", she promised and put the file into her leather briefcase.

Just as we were about to leave, the door to the conference room opened and Guardian Simmons, the Captain of the Queen's guardians, poked his head in.

"Your majesty? May I take up a moment of your time?"

Lissa held her face straight, but I could see the small signs of annoyance on her facial expression. I understood her; she was tired and wanted to go home and not deal with any more queenly business tonight.

However, she nodded and gestured to one of the chairs around the table. "I can spare a moment."

Guardian Simmons stepped inside the room and then stepped aside so that another Dhampir could step forward. She was in her mid-20's with black hair cut in a very well-groomed bob. She was dressed in the regular guardian uniform, it even had the emblem of the Royal Court on the breast pocket, although it looked newly made. She must have been moved here from somewhere else.

"This is Guardian Pavoni, she is the new guardian to Prince Lucas", he announced. She didn't speak, but she nodded to all of us in the room as a short greeting.

Lissa narrowed her eyebrows. "What about Guardian Boyarov? I haven't received his notice or accepted his transfer."

Guardian Simmons immediately looked a little uneasy. "He has already been reassigned."

"Where?"

"To a royal Moroi back in his native country, in Russia."

Lissa rose from her seat so fast that the chair fell over and its back hit the floor. Her cheeks flushed red from resentment and her tone sharp when she replied. "Why wasn't I told? Surely mine or my son's guardians are my matter!"

Guardian Simmons swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. "Y-yes, Your Majesty. Of course they are."

"So why was Guardian Boyarov removed from my service without my knowledge?"

Lissa's aggravation was getting clear to everyone in the room and Guardian Simmons and the new Guardian… Pavi-something, began to looked seriously nervous.  
Lissa was a gentle figure, most of the time. But as she began to use her voice, body language and authority as Queen, she could intimidate anyone.

Guardian Simmons glances towards me and Dimitri, the only ones in the room except for himself, Lissa and Guardian Pavoni.

"Guardian Pavoni, please leave the room", Lissa requested and nodded towards the door. Once she'd left she turned back to the head of her guard. "Guardian Simmons, I expect you to tell me why you removed Guardian Boyarov from my service without my knowledge or my consent or I will start looking for a new Captain as you hand in your resignation for the post."

Guardian Simmons face grew paler by the threat and he seemed to have an inner debate with himself whether it was worth to keep the secret of Alexei's reassignment if it would cost him his post as the Captain of the Queen's guardians.

"It was an urgent request by the Princess Szelsky and Lord Vincent Conta", he admitted. "Along with a generous sum of money…"

Lissa raised her slim eyebrows. "You accepted bribes?"

He hung his head. "Yes… Your Majesty. And I'm ashamed over that now."

I snorted, but I barely even received a glance from Lissa. Dimitri gave me a look that said that I probably shouldn't interrupt anything with smart comments or noises, but I didn't care. Anyone would notice that Guardian Simmons was saying what he thought Lissa would want to hear to save his own skin.

"What was their reason for having him moved?"

"They… they were very urgent that he got a new assignment as soon as possible. It seems that he had an…" he trailed off for a second. "An inappropriate relationship with their daughter."

This time, I was the one to raise my eyebrows. _Alexei had an inappropriate relationship with Princess Szelsky's daughter? _It must have been a serious relationship if her parents were ready to pay good money to have him sent back all the way to Russia.

"We will have the discussion about you accepting bribes later", Lissa told him. "For now, you can leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty", he replied rapidly and bowed deeply to her before he hurried out of the room.

Dimitri and I exchanged a glance but his facial expression didn't reveal what he was thinking about. Lissa didn't know about our father-son theory and I intended to keep it that way until we could answer with certainty. Had it been my secret, I would have told her in an instant. But it felt as if this was Dimtri's secret, even if I had been the one to figure it out.

There was another thing that crossed my mind. If Alexei was sent back to Russia, our chances of getting to know him enough to start finding something in his life that could tie him to Dimitri grew considerable smaller.

"I think I understand now", Lissa sighed and rubbed her temples with her index-and middle fingers.

"Understand what?" I asked.

"Why Princess Szelsky wanted Guardian Boyarov away from her daughter."

I waited for Lissa to continue, but she remained quiet.

"Yes?" I urged.

"I had my secretary send a note to Mirabel Szelsky, Princess Ariana's daughter, a few days ago. She just had a baby."

"A baby?" I echoed. "He got her pregnant?"

I was starting to feel a little dizzy, enough so that I would have to put a hand on the wall to prevent myself from falling to the floor. This was growing into a Court soap-opera, complete with forbidden relationships and illegitimate children. All that was missing was a dramatic murder with someone falling down the stairs or something.

Lissa shrugged her shoulders. "It's possible."

I wanted to look at Dimitri, but I didn't dare. We had just started to getting used to the idea that he had a son that was old enough to earn his own salary. God knows how long it would take before it would sink in that that son was old enough to have his own baby.

* * *

_I'm back! I hope that you all had a nice Christmas and a good new start on the new year! _

_Now it is all out in the open! I got at least one review last chapter on when Rose and Dimitri would figure the family relations out, happily knowing that you all would find out in the next (or this) chapter! :) _

_I'll post next weekend as usual :)_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	19. Chapter 19

**Nineteen **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_  
_April, present time_

It was with a heavy heart that I got dressed in the morning. I would have jumped out of my window right down onto the stone patio unless I had Gregory to care for. I tried to tell myself that everything would be okay, though it definitely didn't seem like it would be okay at the moment.

Today was my wedding day.

A wedding day was the day that any happy bride had waited months for, practically crossed off the days in the calendar for six months in advance. They prepared for the happiest day of their life and a new beginning with a man (or woman, if they preferred) that they would begin a mutual life with. They put their soul into planning the wedding with dresses, cakes, flowers and jewelry. Their friends arranged bachelor and bachelorette-parties and their parents participated in the planning of their child's wedding ceremony and the party afterwards.

I knew one thing about all this. This was not the happiest day of my life.

It might have been a new start if Alexei had been here. If he hadn't been sent away, I would have actually been merry this morning. When this day was over, I would be living with William in our own house far away from prying eyes. And far away from prying eyes… Alexei would be able to visit once in a while to see me and his son.

I leaned over Gregory's crib, looking down on the perfectly shaped head, the thick dark hair and the tiny features of his face. He was sleeping peacefully, sprawled out on his back with one closed fist beside his chubby cheek. Only by looking at him, my heart ached for my love for this poor boy that might grow up without knowing his father and who would grow up in this horrible society that was going to shape him with their ancient rules and traditions.

Hopefully, he will listen to his mother as he grows older.

* * *

I took my time making myself ready. My mother would help me with my hair later so I carefully applied my make-up with a steady hand and some calming music in my ears. I settled for a discreet make-up look. A lighter brown on the eyelids towards the nose and a darker brown towards the edge of the eyes. I used neither eyeliner nor lipstick, just mascara and lip gloss.

Then I opened up the case to my wedding dress. I hadn't wanted anything too extravagant, so the dress was fitted for my body, knee length and ivory colored. The slip, a simple silk dress, was sleeveless and covered my chest, stomach and thighs. A layer of lace covered the white slip and also spread out to serve as thin sleeves and a high neckline.

I almost looked like a bride when I looked myself in the mirror. With my hair tied up and a white veil fastened to it, I would look even more like it.

Someone knocked lightly on the door and opened it a little. My mother poked her head in and looked at me with a small sigh.

"Wow", she said low and stepped inside. "You look beautiful!"

I put my index finger against my lips and pointed towards the crib where Gregory was still sleeping.

"Thank you", I whispered. "When is the wedding going to be?"

"At 2 pm, everything is arranged and there will be a modest party afterwards."

I looked up at her. "A party? I thought we agreed on just the ceremony?"

"We did", Mom said and gave me an apologetic smile. "But William's parents insisted on a party, invitation only of course, to give close friends the opportunity to congratulate the newlyweds."

I sighed. "Or to make sure that the rest of the stuck-up royals can see that it actually took place."

"That could be another reason."

I spun around in surprise. I had notexpected her to take my side in this. "Really?"

She walked up to me by the mirror and placed both her hands on my shoulders. "I know that you have been unhappy, deeply unhappy, about everything that has happened. I also know that I had a greater part in that than I like to admit."

I patiently waited for the rest. I almost dared to believe that she was apologizing.

"I can't undo what I have already done. But seeing you torn between joy of your son and despair pains me more than you probably know. Seeing your children suffer is… is painful, despite your own thoughts and opinions on the matter."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, wanting to get to the point with this apology.

Mom took a deep breath. "If you don't want to go through with this, no one will force you to."

I felt the tears rise in my eyes. I knew that she meant well with what she said and I truly appreciated hearing the words from someone else. But I felt as if I would actually feel worse if I didn't go through with this.

Surely, I didn't really want to go through with this wedding. Since Alexei wasn't even in this country anymore I saw no reason to keep the facade with a happy marriage to William Ozera. However… not going through with this would bring me even more to the center of attention. The bride dumping the groom by the altar, a very classic and interesting topic for gossip.

_Not marrying William wouldn't give me the peace and quiet that I wanted, a simple and calm life for me and my son. _

_Marrying William would make people forget about us and our Dhampir-scandals. _

_Marrying William would give me most of what I wanted, apart from fully engaging myself to Alexei. However, I wouldn't be able to do that even if I remained single. _

There didn't seem to be any solution to this that would make everyone happy.

I shook my head. "I just want to live in peace and quiet with Gregory, away from court and all the gossip that spreads there. And honestly… if a marriage to William will provide that for me, I will do it."

Mom turned me around and placed a long kiss on my forehead. "I can barely believe how much you have changed in the past year, Mirabel", she sighed and cupped my cheeks in her hands. "I have never been prouder of you, going through what you do with your head held high."

I gave her a small smile. "So you aren't proud of me for doing the "right thing"?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm proud of you because you don't let anyone tell you what to do. If you were determined not to get married today, you would do anything to make that happen. I am proud of you for thinking of Gregory and that you know that your choices affects him as well. I'm proud of the woman and the mother that you have become."

The tears that had earlier gathered in my eyes finally spilled over and I had to bite hard into my bottom lip not try and prevent more from falling and ruining my make-up.

Carefully, Mom dried my tears away. "Don't ruin your make-up now and let's get your hair done."

* * *

At 2.10 pm sharp, I stood beside William Ozera in the courtroom, both of us dressed in our best for this special occasion. We had walked down the short isle between the heavy benches, closely observed by the small party that we had invited as witnesses to the wedding; my parents, my brother and William's parents.

In my hands, I held a small bouquet of flowers that my, soon-to-be, mother-in-law had given me before the ceremony. It was a pretty bouquet, I admit; several pink roses with green leaves and small white flowers that almost looked like popped popcorn.

A lawyer in black robes, a large white collar and glasses on the tip of his nose that made him look very important stood on the opposite side of the low wooden fence that divided the judge's stand from the audience's benches.

"Do you intend to exchange wedding rings?" he asked, looking above his glasses from me to William. His gaze, although I doubted that it was his intention, seemed judging towards us. Perhaps it was just the way he looked at us above his glasses with his eyebrows raised like that.

"Yes, we do", William replied. He spoke loud and high, his voice almost echoing in the empty courtroom.

Suddenly, the white court walls seemed to close in around me. The roof lowered above me, the walls moving closer my body, threatening to crush me between them. And along with that, it seemed as if all the oxygen in the air around me vanished, leaving me gasping for air.

_This was really going to happen. _

Despite preparing myself for this day since before Gregory was born, despite getting dressed in my wedding dress this morning, I wasn't ready.

This day had always felt so far away, like when you are studying for your finals. You prepare yourself, studying for weeks in advance, but you always think that there are still a couple of days left until the test. Then suddenly you are there. Sitting in the writing hall with your pen held high and the test in front of you. You couldn't get out, you couldn't just skip it; you just had to do your best and hope that it ends well.

My head began to feel dizzy, the lawyer in front of me grew blurry and I had to concentrate to keep myself on my feet. Just when I thought that I was about to faint, or at least lose my balance, I felt William's steady arm around my waist, stabilizing me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded, trying to swallow some saliva but my mouth was as dry as Sahara. I forced myself to smile. "Yes, just a little nervous."

I heard my mother make a comment to William's mother about how normal it was for a bride to be nervous on her wedding day.

The lawyer didn't seem the at least concerned about my nervousness. "If you please, your marriage license and identification."

William turned around and received some papers and an ID-card from his father, while I hauled mine from my small purse I carried. It was small, covered in small fake-pearls and only a thin chain for a strap. With shaking hands, I gave him my driver's license. The lawyer accepted the license and the identifications with a small nod and folded his hands on top of his stomach. He cleared his throat and stretched his neck, a sudden expression of calmness and kindness settled over his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today to witness the exchange of marriage vows between Mirabel and William." He took a moment to let his words settled in the room before continuing. "If there is anybody present here who have any objections to this marriage, please speak now or forever hold your peace."

Of course, no one objected. I imagined a scenario where Alexei would suddenly barge through those doors and yell that William and I couldn't get married. Of course… he didn't. He didn't even know that this was the moment of my wedding.

The lawyer turned towards William. "Do you, William, solemnly swear to take Mirabel to be your lawfully wedded wife and promise to love, honor and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do", William said, his voice steady and secure. He both felt and sounded confident, a feeling that I couldn't even muster in this moment.

"As a symbol of your promise, please place the ring onto Mirabel's finger."

William reached into the pants of his suit and took out the two plain wedding rings in gold. The one he placed on my finger was a little slimmer than the other one and not quite as plain as I had first thought. The surface of it was scattered with tiny diamonds, creating a fine patterns of shiny jewels onto the wedding ring.

He gave the other ring to me.

"Do you, Mirabel, solemnly swear to take William to your lawfully wedded husband and promise to love, honor and cherish him for as long as you both shall live?"

I swallowed. "I-I do", I managed to squeak out, not quite as confident as I had tried and definitely not as self-assured as William had spoken.

"As a symbol of your promise, please place the ring onto William's finger."

I took William's warm hand in mine, holding the ring against the tip of his finger. I only hesitated for a brief second before I slid the golden ring onto it.

The lawyer actually managed to give us both a small smile. "With the power invested in me, by the law of the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Even though my perception on time began to slow down after _"I now pronounce you"_, I was still not prepared when William placed his hand behind my neck and placed a short and soft kiss on my lips. I didn't feel anything. No flutter, no excitement, just… nothing. It mattered as little as a kiss on my cheek from a polite stranger.

Our families rose from their benches behind us, applauding politely. And after putting my signature on the marriage license, I was a legally married woman.

_Mrs. Mirabel Ozera._

* * *

_I definately enjoy putting my characters into difficult situations, hopefully I can manage to get them out of them as well! What did you think of the chapter, my darling readers? :)  
_

_I don't give my Beta enough credit for the amazing job that she does editing this story so... THANK YOU!_

_Hold out another week for the next chapter!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Note: Since this takes place in Russia and everyone involved is Russian, all the conversation is spoken in, you guessed it, Russian. I thought that I'd clarify it now since it's written in English (naturally, it would be difficult to understand otherwise). **_

* * *

**Twenty**

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_May_

"I assume that you are curious to know where we are going", Mr. Zeklos said and took a small sip from his coffee. The rental car that we had gotten after the flight to Omsk smelled fresh, new and was a dream to drive. I hadn't driven in a while, not since I took my license only weeks before I moved to America. However, it would take nine hours to get to our destination. That was plenty of time to practice getting comfortable behind the wheel.

"A little", I admitted. "Is this a business trip?"

I had my suspicions, but I didn't dare to expose them. During my four months as Mr. Zeklos' guardian, I had begun to grown accustomed to that he went on sudden "business trips". He had retired from work two years ago, but it still occurred that he attended events tied to either his former occupation or simply events connected to the Royal Moroi society.

However, and the reason why I had my suspicions on what kind of trip this was, Ania and Sabina had gladly filled me in on why Mr. and Mrs. Zeklos barely bothered to show each other even as little as simple polite phrase. Although, I doubted that there would be any different outcome when a wife finds out that her husband has four children with another woman in another town.

"No, not exactly", he confessed. "This is a personal trip."

I only nodded, not daring to ask how it was personal, but I could feel his eyes on me.

"Though something tells me that you already know why we are here", he said, slightly amused. "Have Ania and Sabina filled you in on the gossip?"

"Yes", I admitted after a moment's hesitation. "A little."

"Then you know that I have another family apart from my wife."

"Yes."

"I haven't visited much in the last 25 years, not more than six times. My son wasn't so keen on me visiting when he grew into adolescence so… I reduced my visits", he explained. "I resumed my trips just before he graduated, I thought that it was best if we ran in to each other as little as possible."

I wasn't going to ask what made the tension so frosty between Mr. Zeklos and his son, I didn't want to push my luck with him confiding in me. He took another sip of coffee and began to give me some information about who we were visiting.

"Olena and I met in Omsk in 1980," he started. "She was an assistant nurse at the hospital and I was on a business trip when I one evening accidentally cut my hand one the knife while cutting bread and went to the hospital."

He smiled at the memory and took another sip of his coffee. "She checked in on me every 15 minutes to see how I was feeling, she got me water when I was thirsty and she regularly took my pulse and blood pressure, even if she didn't have to. When I was discharged from the hospital, we met every evening after her shift at a small café a few blocks away from the hotel where I was staying."

I listened as closely as I could while keeping an eye on the traffic around me. This was the first time that Mr. Zeklos has said more than just maintaining a polite conversation with me. I took it as a good sign that he was trusting me with this story.

"We exchanged some letters after I had returned to Moscow for a period of time, she always wrote at least three pages about what had happened since she last wrote. A few months after we parted in Omsk she wrote to say that she was pregnant. I flew to Omsk when she went into labor and I followed her back to Baia with our daughter when she moved back home to her mother."

"When did you marry Mrs. Zeklos?" I asked. "Did she know about your family when you married?"

"We married in -88 and by that time, Olena and I had three children; Karolina, Dimitri and Sonya. And since you are asking, yes. Irina knew about them when we married and she had no objections against it."

I opened my mouth but I immediately closed it again. Mr. Zeklos might be telling a part of his life story but I doubted that he would approve of me snooping around in it. Therefore, I kept the question of what went wrong with their marriage silent in my head.

"Did you not have four children?" I asked.

Mr. Zeklos cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. "Yes, that's true. Viktoria was born two years after Irina and I married."

I believed that I just got the answer to why their marriage went downhill. "She cannot have liked that…" I mumbled.

Mr. Zeklos chuckled. "No she definitely did not!"

* * *

Nine and a half hours later and after some short stops on the way for bathroom and snack breaks, we began to roll into the small town on Baia. Even though it was in the middle of May the sky had been dark for hours and the snow hadn't completely vanished from the ground, only a few spots of green grass was visible between the white layers.

Rolling through downtown Baia, we passed many evening town-strollers that visited the shops before they closed or found a seat in a restaurant for a slightly late dinner. Instinctively, I looked closely at the passing people to spot any Dhampirs, but I wasn't sure if I saw any. Baia seemed to have a very large human population.

As we passed the main town, the houses grew more thinly in number. The streetlights and the open shops slowly became residential houses. The houses were all different, although built in a similar style and made the area more village-like. The asphalt that made the wide roads in the town slimmed down into older and more neglected roads that lead the way to the houses just outside of town.

As we turned to the right almost 10 minutes after leaving town, Mr. Zeklos began to give me directions.

"Here", Mr. Zeklos said and pointed to a two-story house coming up on our left. The house had once been painted in a dark red color, but years of cold weather, rain and sun had taken its toll on the facade. However, the warm lights from the windows made the house seem very pleasant and congenial.

I parked on the side of the road and turned the engine off. Mr. Zeklos stepped out of the car and opened the gate to the dark wooden fence that surrounded the garden. He had only taken two steps inside when a voice behind us interrupted us.

"Sir, can I help you?"

Mr. Zeklos and I spun around, I noticeably faster, and faced a girl in her early teens. She was dressed a little light for the chilly weather, in only a thin jacket and a basket with groceries on her arm. She was pretty, with dark brown hair tightly braided and calm, dark brown eyes. Her face was covered with a light layer of freckles.

He gave her a light smile. "Yes dear, I'm here to see Olena."

The girl glanced up towards the house. "Grandma is making dinner, but I shall see if she has the time."

Mr. Zeklos followed her up to the house and stopped in the doorway as the girl removed her jacket and shoes. Still standing a few feet away from the front door, I could hear the sounds of a TV from the inside along with a mixture of loud voices. Through the kitchen window, I could see the girl bring her basket into the kitchen and hand it to a woman by the stove.

"Alexei", Mr. Zeklos called and stepped inside, leaving the door open for me.

The heavenly smell of freshly baked bread and dinner in the oven sipped out through the opening. Entering the house, I had to bow my head to avoid knocking my head in the door frame. The inside was more homely than the outside with light walls with dark wooden panelling, dark floor and a slightly lower roof. From the hallway, a stair to the upper floor was straight ahead of me, the old-fashioned kitchen was to my left and the living room was directly to my right. The whole house looked like a country cottage from a movie, especially if the open fireplace would be lit and falling Siberian snow outside the window.

From the entrance to the kitchen, a woman in her early 60's appeared. She had dark brown hair streaked with grey and warm chocolate brown eyes. She had thin lines of the sides of her mouth, which constantly seemed to be carrying a small smile. She looked like she had been the mother of any child's dreams - even though she now probably had grandchildren.

When she saw Mr Zeklos, she dried her hands on a towel she held. "Igor, it's been a long while since you visited", she said.

Mr Zeklos nodded and smiled. "Too long, I regret. You look wonderful, Olena"

She gave him a small smile, not completely falling for his charm. I was surprised by his behaviour. Even though he barely said a word to his wife at home, here he was almost overacting. I suppose a stupid person would fall for the faked charm, but I sensed that Olena was anything but stupid. I got the impression that his presence was not entirely welcome.

"How is everyone? Are the girls well?"

"They are good, Sonya just moved into a new apartment and Olga is at St. Basil's. Viktoria is at work, she'll be back after dinner."

"And Dimitri?"

"He is still in America."

While they talked and Olena updated him on her - their - children's and grandchildren's lives so far, I moved over to a shadowy part of the hallway. I was not here to disturb or interfere with any family business of theirs.

A small child, perhaps five years old, had heard the new voices downstairs and took one step at the time down the narrow stair. He looked at me with large eyes, which were surprisingly blue, when he reached the end of the stairs and quickly hurried into the kitchen to throw his arms around Olena's legs.

"My my, he has grown!" Mr. Zeklos. "He was no more than a year when I saw him last! Viktoria must be proud of him."

"She is", Olena said and quietly told the boy to sit down so that he wouldn't burn himself on anything. She then turned around to take the dinner out of the oven. "Would you and you guardian like to have some dinner?"

"Yes please, you are most kind", Mr Zeklos took off his coat and hung it on the clothing rack in the hallway.

"Then please sit, we are serving it now", she said. She yelled a couple of female's names and soon a middle aged woman, perhaps in her early 40's, appeared in the doorway with the young teenager who had greeted us when we arrived. From Olena's and Mr Zeklos talk earlier, the woman must be the oldest daughter Karolina and the young girl her daughter Zoya. The youngest daughter of Olena's, Viktoria also lived here, but she was working late tonight.

When everyone had taken a place around the table, Olena waved at me where I still lurked in the shadows in the hallway.

"Sit down and have some dinner", she smiled warmly and turned around to fetch a basket of the freshly baked bread from the kitchen counter. I had not expected to be invited to a family dinner when I drove Mr Zeklos here, but it would be impolite to refuse the offer.

"Thank you, ma'am", I said and started to take my jacket off. I grabbed my silver stake from the pocket of the jacket and put it in a holster in my belt, not wanting to take it off me. I walked into the kitchen and took a place at the end of the table, closest to the door if someone would come rushing in. It seemed unlikely, but one ever knew. As I sat down, two pairs of eyes fixed on me. Zoya's were kind and polite and she handed me the basket of bread; Karolina's eyes were narrowed and almost questioning. She looked at me with a look that said that she had seen me before or perhaps reminded her of someone.

"Thank you", I said to Zoya and held out the basket to Karolina.

* * *

The dinner was a cheerful gathering. The Belikov family clearly got along well with each other, which could explain how they managed to live amicably with so many in one house, and even though the older members of the family seemed to carry some resentment against Mr. Zeklos they didn't seem to consider his presence at the table was unwelcomed.

The youngest daughter of Olena and Mr. Zeklos, if I had remembered the names and ages correctly, Viktoria came home just as we started to eat the last from our plates. She was dressed in a nurse's uniform, her name on a tag on her chest and her thick brown hair braided in a tight French braid. The little boy immediately jumped down from his chair with a joyful shriek and ran towards her. When she picked him up, he greeted her with a kiss on her cheek.

"Are we having guests?" she asked after she'd put him down and began to removed her coat and scarf. "Who is - - Oh, it's you."

Mr. Zeklos rose from the table and held out his arms in a friendly hug. "That's not a way to greet your father! I was just admiring your boy, he has grown a lot since I saw him last."

"Children tend to do that", Viktoria said, looking very reluctant to give him the hug that he requested. However, to be polite, she gave him a light hug.

She was just about to sit down to grab some dinner of her own when she saw me.

Her eyebrows shot up for a second before she regained her expression. "Oh, I don't think that we have met? I thought that it was Paul that had come home."

In the corner of my eye, I could see Karolina send her sister a knowing look. However, I pretended not to notice it.

Afterwards, as we helped Olena to clear the table and do the dishes, Mr. Zeklos asked us all to leave it for later as he had some things to discuss with her. I immediately noticed a tension in Karolina's body when she heard him ask to see her mother alone. I didn't dare to ask, but I got a feeling that previous private encounters hadn't ended very well.

"It is okay, Karolina", Olena said and dried her hands on a kitchen towel. "I'll call when I need your help with the rest of the dishes."

Reluctantly, Karolina put her arm around Zoya's shoulder and left the kitchen, me trailing behind her. As Zoya sneaked up the stairs to her room, Karolina glanced back to the kitchen.

I walked into the living room, taking my time admiring the dark panelling of the ceiling and the walls, the comfy old sofa and the solid bookcases filled with both old and new books. Some knitting lay on the living room table, a half-finished pair of mittens, along with a knitting-pattern book. The walls and the majority of the mantelpiece was covered with framed photographs. Any other time, I wouldn't have been so interested in another family's personal life, but there was two people on the photographs on the mantelpiece that caught my eye. Two people that I hadn't expected to see even though I now recall that one of the named has been mentioned during the trip.

Guardian Belikov and Guardian Hathaway stood with their arms around each other in front of this house, the blossoming flowers along the wall of the house indicated that it was sometime in the summer. They were both smiling into the camera, looking like any other couple on a nice vacation.  
The photo beside it was their wedding photo. They were also standing outside in this, Guardian Hathaway dressed in a simple white dress and Guardian Belikov in a black suit. I couldn't help but smile. The image seemed to have been taken as they wasn't prepared, for Guardian Hathaway had turned her face to her husband and seemed to be laughing at something and Guardian Belikov had an amused look on his face. As is someone had told them a dirty joke or something just before this picture was taken.

"That's my brother, Dimitri, and his wife Rose", a voice said behind me. I spun around, facing Karolina standing only a little way behind me with her arms casually crossed over her chest. "They were here for their wedding."

"Oh", I said.

Karolina smiled. "You seem surprised?"

I nodded. "I am, I had no idea that Mr. Zeklos is Guardian Belikov's father."

"Oh, you have met Dimitri? In America?"

I nodded again. "Yes. Before I graduated, Guardian Belikov and Guardian Hathaway helped to evaluate me for my assignment."

"Did you attend school in America?" Karolina dropped her crossed arms and seemed to relax a little. As she did, I noticed that she had a slim golden wedding ring on her left hand.

"Only the last year", I explained. "I was transferred, they wanted me as the guardian for Queen Vasilisa's son."

"Oh wow", she said, genuinely impressed. "Why did you come back here?"

Immediately, my thoughts went to Mirabel and Gregory, my mind trying to recreate the day at the hospital when I saw and held him for the first time. The pain in my chest returned again, the pain reminding me of the agony of separation from my girlfriend and our son.

I tried to push those thoughts back for the moment and gave Karolina an apologetic smile. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course", she said, lowering her gaze to the floor.

I turned to the photographs again, pointing to one with three young people holding their arms around each other. "Who are they?"

"My children Paul and Zoya along with my niece Olga", Karolina explained. "It was taken last summer."

Paul looked as if he was in his early 20's, a good-looking guy with thick dark hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to run in the family. His tall and brawny built made him look a lot like Guardian Belikov, his uncle.

His sister Zoya looked as she did since I saw her a few minutes ago, although her hair a little lighter and her face a little more freckled from the summer sun.

Their cousin Olga only seemed to be a little younger than Zoya, with light brown hair, dark brown eyes, high cheekbones and a slightly pointed nose. The family resemblance was clear and unmistakable, if I hadn't known that they were cousins (apart from Paul and Zoya) I would have guessed that they were all siblings.

"Is your son a guardian?" I asked.

Karolina nodded. "Yes, he has an assignment in Yekaterinburg now but he visits now and then."

She leaned her head to the side a little and gave me a gentle smile. "He can't be much older than you are, a real sweetheart. You remind me of him."

"I do?" I asked, narrowing my eyebrows.

Karolina opened her mouth, just about to answer when Olena's voice suddenly rose from the kitchen.

"No! I am not going to take any more of this!"

Karolina was out of the living room faster than lightening, the fast steps of Viktoria running down the stairs close behind. To my surprise, they had managed to enter the kitchen before I even registered any kind of danger. Something convinced me that this wasn't the first time that the Belikov sister's felt concern for their mother.

Hurrying past the hallway and into the kitchen, Karolina had put herself between her parents, shielding her mother from whatever she feared would happen. Viktoria stood nearby, her posture stiff and prepared to react if needed.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking from her mother to her father.

"I'm done with the accusations, Igor. I thought that I made that clear to you when you came back the first time!"

"What accusations?" Karolina demanded to know, narrowing her eyebrows and crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to bulge from protecting her mother from whatever would come in her way. I was certain that she had been trained to be a guardian, but probably hadn't graduated or accepted an assignment. Shame, she would have been a good guardian.

Being Mr. Zeklos's guardian, I swiftly moved past Viktoria and stood beside him, ready to defend him if necessary.

She turned her head to Mr. Zeklos and repeated her question. "What accusation?"

"I wanted to know why she didn't tell me that we had another son together", Mr. Zeklos said. Karolina and Viktoria lifted their eyebrows, I just wanted to leave. I had not been prepared to end up in a family feud, especially any accusations about lies and hidden children.

"What?" Viktoria asked, her facial expression confused and questioning. "Why the hell would Mama have a child that she didn't tell you about?"

"You said it yourself", Mr. Zeklos countered sharply. "You said that you thought that he was Paul visiting."

Suddenly, all four pair of eyes turned towards me. I was happy that I couldn't see the dumb stricken look on my face. _Were they talking about me? _

"That must be a mistake", Karolina said. "He remind me both of Paul and Dimitri but mom hasn't had another child."

"It _is _a mistake", I said, turning the attention to me again. "My mother's name was Nina, she died several years ago."

Karolina gestured with her hand towards me, but she turned her head to Mr. Zeklos. "See? I don't know or care what you have been doing between your visits here, but don't drag us or your poor guardian into that!"

"Please leave, now", Viktoria said.

"It's late", Mr. Zeklos remarked. "We can't drive the entire night."

Olena began to rub the temples of her head. "You can stay for tonight, there is room for the both of you."

"But we want you to leave first thing in the morning", Karolina added harshly.

Mr. Zeklos looked anything but pleased, but didn't object to his eldest daughter. His lips tightened into a thin line but he nodded in agreement. "We will leave first thing in the morning."

Without another word, he stomped past Karolina, Viktoria and me and vanished into the living room.

Olena let out a deep breath and held out her arm to rub my back. "I'm sorry for that", she apologized. "We did not mean to drag you into that."

"You started fighting because of me", I commented. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Olena's face melted into a smile. "You have nothing to apologize for, dear. That wasn't the first time an argument occurred between us."

Karolina put an arm around her mother's shoulder and placed her by the kitchen table before filling a pot with water for tea. Viktoria didn't move from her place by the door not even when her son sneaked down the stairs to see what all the yelling was about. She couldn't keep her eyes of me, watching me with narrow eyes as if she was trying to read my thoughts or something. Finally, her son managed to convince her to read him a story and she vanished with him upstairs.

* * *

_And there we have it, a pre-weekend treat! How many of you could have guessed that Alexei's new charge is Dimitri's father?  
_

_I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially since I got to think a little deeper about how Zoya might turn out and what Sonya's and Viktoria's children/possible children might be like :) Actually, I don't have a name for Viktoria's son, any suggestions?  
_

_See you all next week!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	21. Chapter 21

**Twenty one **

_**Mirabel Ozera**_  
_August_

I arrived home half an hour after my shift at the library had ended, almost boiling with annoyance and irritation. If it was good manners to punch a royal Moroi in the face, there would have been no stopping me.

William and I had been married for almost four months now. Four months of living together without sharing anything apart from an occasional meal. I didn't mind, I had Gregory. My boy that grew bigger and smarter with every day that passed. My darling boy that looked more and more like Alexei every time he learned a new thing.

William left us alone, unless I asked for his company, and we left him alone with Julia. I had a bedroom for me and Gregory and he shared his with her. A Moroi woman, who probably did this for a living, arrived with a feeder three times a week so that William and I could get some blood. We went grocery shopping together and sometimes we ate at the same time, but otherwise we left each other be just like we agreed on when we decided that we would marry.

However, as normal, there was the damn (I wanted to say something worse, but I had promised to barely even think a bad word so that something wouldn't slip out and Gregory would hear it) Moroi who thought that they were better than anyone else.

Many were polite, asking how William and I were doing and how we were enjoying married life, but I could see the look in their eyes as they asked if my son was well. Some Royals didn't even bother to be hide their disdain, asking with a supercilious look how my _Dhampir _son was doing.

But what had me boiling over the edge happened during my lunch break. I was grabbing something quick to eat at the bistros by the entrance to the library when I heard two older women, I didn't know them and I was unsure of their names but they were royals, trying to talk discreetly about me. They were standing in line, while I had grabbed an empty table to finish my sandwich and coffee.  
I wasn't sure if they were even trying to be discreet, for I could clearly hear my name in combination with "_Dhampir","child" and "poor girl". _I wasn't sure how I managed to contain myself, apart from mentally imagining myself giving them a straightforward and well-remembered speech on that my relationship with my boyfriend being none of their business and that they surely must live pitiful lives if they had nothing more exciting to gossip about.

However, I wasn't really the confrontal type. At least not when I had nothing to gain. So I drank my coffee a little more fiercely that before, burning my tongue in the process, and refused to give the older ladies as much as a glance.

I could see them looking at me, undoubtedly giving a pitiful glance to 'the poor girl who had a baby out of marriage and with a _Dhampir _to top it all off. Surely, that's not a respectable path for a royal Moroi woman?'

_Well, fuck you too. _

I left the bistro shortly after they had, leaving half of my sandwich and the bottom of my coffee. I'd lost my appetite. I just wanted to go home and hug Gregory, his hugs and kisses would make everything good again.

* * *

The first thing that I heard when I closed the front door was the constant blabbering of Gregory learning that he can make sounds and the sound of his chubby hands smacking the wooden floor as he crawled across the floor towards the door.

"Hi Maggie!" I yelled to the nanny. She wasn't older than 19 years old, Margaret or Maggie as she asked us to call her, and had been a great asset to me as when William and I moved here. She was human, I didn't see a reason why she had to be Moroi or Dhampir. I had given the explanation that William and I weren't really happy in our marriage but that we still lived together for financial reasons and she didn't ask any questions about it.

"Hi!" Maggie called back and I could hear her approach from around the corner where mine and Gregory's room was. Finally, his crawling got him far enough so that he could see me in the hallway. His face lit up in a smile, a very drooling smile, and his dark brown eyes shimmered from seeing me again. His black hair was getting long, the fringe almost hanging down to his eyes. Immediately, he sat down on his padded bottom to hold his arms out towards me.

"Hi darling!" I smiled at him and picked him up, placing him on my hip. "Did you have a good day with Maggie?"

Gregory turned his torso to point to her. "Ada!"

Maggie rolled her eyes and gave me an understanding smile. That was his word for anything, apart from the blabbering that he did just to fill the silence.

"Has he eaten well today?" I asked.

She nodded. "Oh yes, he finished all the formula and also ate two boiled eggs and some yoghurt. He might not be so hungry tonight."

"He will", I assured her. "The night-snack is the favourite."

Since he was getting big, I had started to wean him off the breastfeeding. Now, he was eating something soft or boiled along with some formula and only breastfed before sleeping. Soon, I would have to give that up too. _My boy was getting big. _

"Has he taken a nap?"

"Only the morning nap, he didn't want to sleep after that", Maggie said while she put on her coat and boots.

"Have a good night, I'll see your tomorrow", I said, waving exaggeratedly at her in an attempt to make Gregory mimic my movement. He did something similar, flapping his hand in a goodbye.

"Ada!"

Maggie waved back at him with a wide smile and closed the door behind her.

I kissed Gregory's chubby cheek and rubbed my nose against his. "How about some fruit?"

I didn't get a proper response, but he was clearly happy about the prospect of eating when I placed him in his chair. He was happily banging his hands against the chair's table as I grabbed the cutting-board and a knife from the kitchen drawer and began to slice up some pear and banana.

Clearly the banana was a favorite, small pieces of pear lay abandoned or mushed on the plate. Eventually, he would grab the pear pieces, crush them a little more in his squeezed hand and offer them to me. I didn't want to hurt him but I didn't want to eat it either so I thanked him with a smile and hid the pieces in a napkin.

* * *

When they clock closed in on 9, Gregory was still not giving any signs of being tired. He was happily crawling around on the floor, tossing his colorful blocks away and then chasing after them again.

I would be happy if I had just an ounce of his energy when I came home from work. He spent his entire day playing, tossing, chasing, crawling, pulling himself up with help from the furniture, sleep like a rock during the nights and then play just as much the next day. I wished that I could do that.

"Mirabel?" William asked, knocking lightly on the doorframe to the living room to get my attention. "I'm making coffee, would you like a cup?"

"Yeah, sure", I said. "I'll just put Gregory to bed."

William nodded. "Do so, I -", his eyes suddenly widened and he stretched out his hand as if he tried to catch something. I followed the movement of his eyes and noticed the reason for why his whole face twisted into a grimace a little too late.

Gregory, that - _I almost called him a bad word _-had crawled over to the small table by the sofa. With his newly acquired skills, meaning pulling himself up by the help of the furniture, he had grabbed a very good hold of the tablecloth on the side-table. Unfortunately, the cloth didn't stay put and everything on top of it followed it down onto the floor.

In slow motion, I watched how the glass vase crashed into a thousand pieces on the floor, water spilling out all over all floor and soaked up by Gregory's pants. The notepad and the pencil hit him in the head, causing his face to wrinkle up and then burst out in a loud cry.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed, my "good language" promise completely forgotten as I felt my heart hammer from seeing my boy surrounded by glass and flowers. Hadn't it been dangerous for him (as soon as he started to crawl or even more, he could cut himself), I would have thought that the scenery could made a beautiful picture.

"I'll get a broom!" William said and vanished from the doorway.

Before Gregory had any chance of moving and cutting his small little hands on the glass, I jumped up in the sofa and snatched him from the floor, gently kissing his head to calm him down.

When he had stopped crying, I made a quick search to see if he was hurt. He was wet from the flower-water but unharmed.

"Time to change into pajamas, little guy", I mumbled. "You got yourself all wet."

William returned with a broomstick and some paper towels as I left the living room. I gave him an apologetic look. "You don't have to take care of that, I'll fix it as soon as I have put him to bed."

"It's fine", William smiled. "I had nothing else to do anyway."

"Well, you could have figured it out something more fun to do" I said, rolling my eyes a little. "I'll put him to bed quickly and then I'll help you with the rest."

"Don't worry about it", he assured me.

* * *

An hour later, Curious George of the house had been washed and changed into his pajamas. After a late snack, he went out like a light.

William had closely swept and vacuumed the entire living room floor to eliminate every little piece of glass from the broken vase.

"You didn't have to do this", I told William again as he put the vacuum-cleaner back into the broom cupboard. "But thanks, it was very nice of you."

"No problem, I'm happy to help out", he smiled. "You had enough to handle on your own."

"I'll buy you a new vase, I'll see if I can find one that looks almost the same."

"IKEA", William laughed. "He made it easy for you. He couldn't have picked a better vase to pull down."

"That's something", I mumbled. "I think I'll skip the coffee tonight, otherwise I won't be able to sleep."

William closed the cupboard door and glanced at me, his blue eyes hinting at a slight disappointment. "Another evening, then."

I narrowed my eyebrows. "I thought that we were supposed to leave each other alone?"

William's lips curved into a smile and he shrugged his shoulders casually. "We are… but that doesn't mean that I don't get hungry for company when Julia is not here. It's an odd feeling to trip around each other when we are living in the same house."

I began to wonder where this was going. Things hadn't been difficult these past four months and our agreement had worked out fine. That was the point of it, stick to the agreement and we could try to figure out our lives.

There was no saying in how this situation could escalate if we began to hang out for "just a cup of coffee". I didn't say that it was or would ever be romantic, but we risked getting to know each other if I could put it that way.

The more we hung out, the more feelings we would put into this… _relationship. _If we put feelings into this, we might start fighting. And I wasn't going to live in the same house as someone I only fought with.

However, I nodded to William's response. "Another evening."

* * *

As I stepped inside the bedroom, I heard the vibrations from my phone lying on the bedspread. Rapidly, I grabbed it from my bed before it woke Gregory up. I didn't recognize the number, I wasn't even sure if it was American.

"Hello?" I asked in a low voice and snuck a peak at my son. He was still sleeping calmly. No one answered in the other line.

"Ehm… hello?" I asked again, even moving the phone from my ear to make sure that the person hadn't hung up.

Finally, someone answered. "H-hi. It's Alexei."

* * *

_Cliffhanger! I LOVE to end a chapter with them!  
_

_I keep wanting to put chapters up with a few days inbetween because I really want you all to keep reading! I have to restrain myself!_

_Hope that you like it! Any thoughts about the chapter, please review and let me know!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	22. Chapter 22

**Twenty two **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

I didn't dare to look at the clock, I didn't dare to see how many hours I had been trying to fall asleep. My eyes were tired, I was barely able to keep them open, but my head was spinning like a merry-go-around.

I couldn't figure out what it was that kept me awake. Perhaps it was the thinking itself that kept me up. I lifted my torso from the bed, turned the pillow over to the cold side and lay back down again, pulling the duvet up all the way over my shoulders.

I had just closed my eyes again, determined to keep my head empty of any thoughts, when my phone suddenly vibrated against the surface of the nightstand, the sharp sound startling me. The screen lit up, glaring harshly in my eyes as I picked it up.

From my small guardian salary, I had finally afford to buy my own cellphone and return the one I bought from Guardian Pavlik. The new phone felt light in my hands; though I also had a content feeling that it was _my_ phone that I held. I had finally saved up enough money from my guardian salary to by myself a new phone without missing the money too much.

Since no one had my number (apart from my assignments and Guardian Pavlik), I hadn't been expecting a text or a call. But the mail-icon did announce that I had 1 new mail.

_I hope that this will brighten your time in Russia._

_Mirabel asked me to give you this. +1 456-246-8678 _

_Regards, D._

It took me several moments to understand what I was reading. If it was because I couldn't understand that I just got a mail out of the blue from someone with Mirabel's number or because it was three in the morning, I didn't know.

_Who the hell sent me this? _

I had to sit up properly, leaning my back against the wall by the head of the bed, and rub my eyes a while before I could read it again. The email address was American and from the Royal Court in Pennsylvania. I recognized it because I also had one from my brief six months as a guardian to the Queen's son.

Then I noticed the name.

_ d . belikov 747-78  
_

If my head had been going like a merry-go-around before, it was going at the speed of a drill now. The question of _why _Guardian Dimitri Belikov would send me an email containing Mirabel's number was unimportant right now, for _I had Mirabel's number!_

In daze, I put my phone away and put my head back on the pillow. I didn't want to sleep anymore. I wanted to lie awake and think about what I would say to Mirabel when I talked to her after eight months of silence. I wanted to know what her voice sounded like again, I wanted to hear her laugh. If I couldn't hold her in my arms, I could settle for just talking to her right now.

After that, with the thought in my head that I would talk to Mirabel tomorrow, I fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

The following evening, after dinner, I locked myself up in my room. With shaking and unsteady fingers, I pressed the numbers on the blank screen. I double-checked them with the numbers scribbled down on the note in my other hand, and pressed the green button.  
A nervous and uneasy feeling began to grow in the pit of my stomach as I awaited someone to pick up in the other line.

"Hello?"

Mirabel's sweet, familiar voice poured through my body as a wave of relaxing warm water. I immediately felt a sting of yearning for her in my chest, almost regretting calling since I knew I wouldn't be able to hang up the phone.

"Ehm… hello?" Mirabel asked again, reminding me that I still hadn't been able to say a word to her.

"H-hi. It's Alexei", I said, swallowing down a mouthful of saliva. "I am glad that I got the right number."

I heard her gasp in the other line. "A-Alexei! Hold on!"

I waited for a couple of seconds as she seemed to be moving into another room. When she placed the phone to her ear again, she was sobbing.

"H-how are y-you? I have missed you s-s-so much!"

"I am okay. How are you? And Gregory?"

She sniveled but I could hear in her voice that she had managed a smile. "We are both well, he is growing like a weed. He's crawling around all around the house, I can't let him out of sight for even a few seconds anymore."

"What are you are going to do when he starts to walk?" I asked, smiling to myself. However, on the inside, I was almost crying with grief. Even if I could imagine Gregory walking, stumbling forward one step at the time on chubby legs, I had no idea what he looked like.

I hadn't seen him since the day he was born and now he was already 8 months old. I had read what happened during the first year in a child's life and I wasn't there to see any of it. I didn't know the color of his hair, of his eyes or if he had any birthmarks on his body. I didn't know his favorite food, what the pattern on his pajamas was or if he liked to "read" children's books.

I didn't know anything about my son.

"I don't know", She admitted. "Perhaps I could put him on a leash."

I chuckled. "Do you believe that it would help?"

"No, he would find a way to wriggle himself out of it", Mirabel said and I could hear on her voice that she smiled.

"Is he talking yet? Or saying a few words?"

"He makes sounds that resemblances words but nothing clear yet. I'm trying to make sure that his first word is 'mommy'."

"Is he awake? Can I talk to him?"

"I'm sorry, he's asleep. He pulled down a table cloth with some things on it so I had to put him to bed while William helped out with the cleaning."

She suddenly grew silent as if she just realized what she said. It took me a few seconds before I also understood what she said. I had tried not to think about her arrangement with William Ozera and I had _almost _managed out repress it.

"I…" Mirabel started. "I'm sorry."

"Do not be", I said, even if I wasn't entirely sure what she was apologizing for.

"I married him, I shouldn't have - -" her words were cut off by a new series of sobbing.

"Are you happy?" I asked, swallowing down a lump that had started to gather in my throat. "Do you have peace and quiet?"

She was silent for a few seconds. "He leaves me and Gregory alone and… And it has taken some of the focus off me."

"So it turned out like you wished", I said, still trying to swallow down the lump that only seemed to grow bigger.

"I'd rather have you here", she said. "I could handle everything they said to me behind my back and to my face if I only had you here."

"Are they being mean to you?"

"Not particularly", she said, although she didn't sound entirely truthful. "Nothing that I can't handle."

"I want to be there to protect you", I said. It sounded cliché and I knew it, but I meant every word of it. Even if I couldn't do anything about other people's talk, Mirabel and I could shield ourselves from them.

"From what?" Mirabel chuckled. "Spilled food and dirty diapers?"

I smiled. "Gladly, I would protect you from all that and more if I was there."

"I can't wait to see you again. I miss you."

"I miss you too", I said. "I promise that I will call again soon."

"I'll be waiting for it", she smiled. "Although I understand if it's expensive."

"I love you."

"I love you too", she whispered.

I didn't move the phone away from my ear after the call had disconnected. If long-distance calls hadn't been so expensive, I would have kept her on the phone with me for hours. Even if the call hadn't lasted for more than five minutes, I felt a warm feeling spread through my chest. I was pretty sure that my heart was skipping a few beats now and then, just from sheer excitement and happiness that I got to hear her voice again.

I kept repeating the last words of the call in my head. I would live on those words until I got to talk to her again.

* * *

_What did you guys think? _

_A short chapter, but I felt that you all needed to know how their long-awaited phone call went! If I'm not wrong, this is the first contact Alexei as and Dimitri have after he found out that Alexei was his son :)  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_

_UPDATE: Sorry that this wasn't an update! I just needed to make some changes that I didn't see before and especally THANK YOU for the 50 reviews! It might not be that much but it means a lot to me! :)_


	23. Author's Note

Hi Zeraphime here!

I have a heart that is pouding so hard it could probably break out of my chest any moment! I have started reading The Ruby Circle and there is some interesting information there!

Holy shit!

The news will not change my story, although I now hoped that I would have postponed it until now since I didn't have all the information. Perhaps when I have completed the story, I will re-upload the chapters will the correct information.

Take care and READ THAT BOOK!


	24. Chapter 23

**Twenty three **

_**Mirabel Ozera**_  
_A year later, Christmas Eve._

A year passed surprisingly quickly. After Alexei's first call, it felt as if a weight had been lifted from my chest. Suddenly, he didn't seem so far away. He was available, he was reachable and I no longer had to wander around wondering where and how he was.

I sent short videos or images to Alexei's e-mail at least once a week. Most of them were of Gregory but occasionally I sent a picture of myself, provided that I felt pretty that evening.

Sometimes I got a picture in return, though he wasn't very much for taking pictures of himself. But he could send me a picture of the sunset or the sunrise along with a short text that he was thinking of me.

Every time he sent me a picture or a text, I got a warm feeling in my chest. I felt happy and so lucky that I loved a man who loved me back just as much. I missed him more with every day that passed, although I might have slipped into some kind of emotional numbness where had promised myself not to think about him too much until we actually spoke to him, so that I could give all my love and focus to his voice. In the meantime, I gave all my energy to Gregory and work.

* * *

William and I spend Christmas with his family at their house at Court. It was always a wonderful feeling to be at Court for holidays since they spared no expenses with the decorations. The gardens, the buildings, the homes, the shops and the restaurants were all decorated with lights, Christmas trees, frosted windows, name it all. Any empty corner became filled with a Christmas tree ornamented with colorful glass balls and lights. With the white snow outside, it looked like a winter paradise.

William's childhood home was no exception, his parents had decorated the house more elaborate than the Christmas world in "The nightmare before Christmas". Curtains, candles and table cloths were all Christmas themed. Elves and other decorations almost dominated every room along with Christmas music and the smell of mulled wine, gingerbread and various Christmas dishes.

If I had learned something in mine and William's two and a half years as married, it was that his mother loved to throw large parties. Since William was an only child, there was always plenty of relatives invited; aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and cousin's families. In total, a party of perhaps 20 adults and at least 10 children between the ages of 2 and 13.

I had imagined that the evening would be a disaster. William's parents knew nothing of his maintained relationship with Julia and my long-distance relationship with Alexei. They, along with the rest of his relatives, believed that we were happy in our marriage. Not that we weren't, but we both knew that we were in a marriage with the wrong people.

His relatives treated me like any other in-law, neither of them making a particular big fuss over Gregory. One of William's cousins, a young woman in her late 20's with a daughter Gregory's age, was happy to pair them up on the thick blanket in the living room so that we could watch them play with Lego together. Or play and play… They didn't play together but they shared that box of Lego fairly well.

"So William", another one of his cousins, a dark haired woman in her early 40's with dark brown eyes in contrary to the other Ozera's blue eyes, asked before putting a piece of roast turkey in her mouth. "When are you and Mirabel going to have a baby of your own?"

The low chattering around us died down. The ones sitting closest to us did their best to hide that they had started to listen to us.

"Ehm…" I started, trying to figure out a good explanation to that question. But my mind came up blank.

Luckily, William did come up with a white lie. He wiped his mouth clean with his napkin before he answered. "Well, it's not something we normally tell in a big company like this but… we've been trying for a baby for a while now but nothing has happened."

The cousin's face fell and she immediately looked a little guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry into personal details. Do… do you know why?"

William glanced at me for a quick second and placed his hand lightly over mine. "Not yet, we are going to see a fertility doctor."

The relatives around us began to look a little uncomfortable, in the way that people do when someone says or does something awkward. Fortunately, they resumed their conversations with each other and left us be.

I leaned closer to William. "Thank you", I whispered.

He squeezed my hand a little harder and smiled at me. "I've got your back, we're in this mess together."

I chuckled. "You and me against the world."

* * *

Gregory began to lose his patience with the Christmas feast shortly after 7 pm. I saw the signs that his focus on the toys ended long before that, but I hadn't had the energy to take care of it. Now however, the toddler tears that fell from his eyes of sheer tiredness was hard to ignore.

He stopped crying as soon as I picked him up and nuzzled his wet face onto my shirt as I carried him to the guest room where William and I had been placed for the holiday.

Changing him into his pajamas turned out to be the first struggle of the evening. He wriggled himself like a worm anytime I tried to either take something off or put something on. Every time I did, he screamed as if I had hit him with a stick. Normally, this wasn't an issue. He had a night routine that included changing into pajamas, a bottle of pap, and a story or a lullaby. Tonight, he didn't want any of it.

At last, my patience began to grow short. Not caring about his resistance, I pulled his clothes off him and put on the pajamas shirt and pants before he had a chance to break my determination with his heartbreaking screams.

"There, there..." I soothed and kissed the soft, dark hair on his head. "That wasn't so bad, right?"

He gave me a look that indicated that it was, in fact, that bad and pouted his bottom lip.

"Bad Mommy", he sniveled.

"Gregory is going to sleep", I clarified. "So you need a pajamas."

"No 'jamas", he said and tried to pull the shirt over his head, but it got stuck in his armpits and he didn't manage to do more than to reveal his stomach.

"Yes pajamas", I said, pulling it down again.

"No", he persisted.

"Yes", I said, picking him up along with his bag containing his things and the ingredients for his pap.

"Why?" He asked, leaning his head against my shoulder and stroking his snotty nose against the fabric of my shirt. I will definitely put it in the laundry as soon as I get home.

"Because pajamas are clothes that you sleep in. If you don't have a pajamas, you don't know when to sleep", I explained, hoping that it would be an explanation a two-year-old could accept.

"Mommy have 'jamas?" Gregory asked.

"Yes", I nodded. "And William too."

That did the trick. Since William was the only male in his environment (apart from my father) that he could look up to, he accepted most of the things if William did them. It came in handy most of the times.

He stopped tugging at his shirt and followed me without any fuss into the kitchen where I prepared his bottle. I had placed him sitting on the kitchen bench, though his eyelids were dropping from sleepiness and I feared that he would fall off. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to put him to bed tonight.

30 minutes later, Gregory had fallen asleep splayed out on his back with a half-full bottle in his mouth. Some of the pap had dripped out from the corner of his mouth and soaked the edge of his pajamas.

I could have spent hours looking at his rose cheeks and pouty slips as he slept. However, it had taken one and a half hour (which was a good time, for the record. It could take twice that time) to put him to sleep and I was in the mood for more of that delicious pecan pie that someone baked for tonight. Quietly, I put the baby monitor on the nightstand and brought the other monitor with me back out.

Just as I had closed the door behind me, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. It wasn't a number that I recognized and I pressed the button to answer the call with frowned eyebrows.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mirabel Ozera?" The voice was deep and definitely male. For a split second, the Russian accent fooled me into thinking that it was Alexei calling from another number.

"Yes?" I answered, narrowing my eyebrows even deeper. "Who is this?"

"This is Dimitri Belikov, I want to ask for a favour."

* * *

**_Alexei Boyarov_**  
_April_

There were periods in the Zeklos household where nothing happened. And when I say nothing, I mean _nothing. _Mrs. Zeklos used to spend those days either resting or sewing while watching the TV and Mr. Zeklos read the paper or played chess. Occasionally they had guests and entertained themselves that way, but there wasn't much for the guardians to do apart from looking out the window for any suspicious activity.

In the beginning when I first came here and these restless days appeared, I was climbing the walls. After training 4-5 days a week for several years, it was hard to adapt to the constant and rather stationary guardian life.

When I realized and got permission to visit the gym in town on my days off and on these uneventful days, I almost burst with enthusiasm. I always tried to do everything as good as I could. If I could, I would give 100 % to the task and not accepting anything less. I would never forgive myself if my ability to protect my assignment was degenerated because I was slacking in keeping myself fit and ready for an eventual attack.

* * *

At 06:30 in the morning, I borrowed one of Mr. Zeklos's three cars that they didn't use very much and drove down to the gym in town. At this hour, the gym was almost always empty apart from the staff. Occasionally, there could be one or perhaps two people working out before work or school. This morning, I was alone.

Or so I thought. As I plugged in my ear plugs before starting my warm-up on the treadmill, I noticed a young girl on the crosstrainer. She was in her late teens or early 20's and clearly visiting the gym often, judging by the thickness of her thighs and the alethic shape of her body. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head and she wore tight-fitting clothes to show off all her hard work at the gym.

I started my music, a playlist of rock songs from the 80's, and put the treadmill speed for a decent warm-up. I spent half an hour on the treadmill, trying to keep a good tempo up to maintain my cardio. During the time, I could feel the girl's eyes on me. And I don't think that I was imagining her speeding her tempo up as well to match mine.

She got off her machine when I did and gulped down almost half her water bottle.

"You have an impressive cardio!" Sshe said loudly, smiling at me. "I don't think that I have seen someone run that fast on that treadmill."

"Thank you", I said, wiping my sweaty face with a small towel.

"I have seen you around here before, are you always coming here this early?"

I nodded. "I work out before work when I can."

It wasn't technically a lie, I worked out early in the morning and I was usually back before Mr. Zeklos woke up. It was also a very normal reason and the only follow-up question that I could get was what I worked with.

"Me too!" she smiled. "Refreshing, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"What do you do?"

"Security", I answered, still not technically lying. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry to work and I want to finish my work-out."

"Oh, of course!" she said, nodding in agreement. "We'll talk some other time."

I only gave her a nod, along with a small smile, and headed over to the punching bag.

I always enjoyed using the strength in my body to the full potential, to use the right muscles in my arms, shoulders, chest and stomach to get in a hit on that thick bag that could knock down a grown man on the first try.

However, this morning I found myself distracted. I had enjoyed talking to that girl, even if we hadn't even introduced ourselves, and it might be nice to have someone my own age to work out with. I hadn't expected to have much of a social life when I became a guardian, but I can't say that it wouldn't appreciate some company of my own age.

My only concern about that, especially since it was a girl that gave me her attention, was what Mirabel would think of it. I would never cheat on her or be unfaithful in any way, but it would feel like it if she didn't trust me.

All of the sudden, the punching bag made a cracking noise and the hook let go off the hold in the roof. The bag flew several feet away and stopped rolling as it heavily hit one of the machines. The girl, who had been busy with an arm-machine burst out laughing while I wasn't quite sure how to react. _How the hell did I break it? _

"Don't worry", she said, smiling at my dumbfounded face. "It was already damaged and bound to break any day now."

"Was it?" I asked.

She nodded and bent down to pick up the bottom of the punching bag. "Help me put this aside so no one trips on it."

I grabbed the top of the bag and helped her carry it and put it down along the wall.

"I'm Mila, by the way", she introduced herself. "Milena but Mila."

"Alexei", I replied. "Nice to meet you."

"You as well."

"I hope that I'll see you around here again. I'll be here early on Thursday and Sunday if you want someone to work out with."

"I'll keep that in mind", I smiled. "Some company might not be that bad."

Mila laughed. "Might? I'll bring a friend who can bench press me, we can make a party out of it!"

I laughed. "That will be interesting."

Mila grabbed her training bag and threw it over her shoulder. "See you later!"

"Bye", I said.

* * *

_I put the cliffhanger in the middle this time. Any guesses what Dimitri could want from Mirabel? It won't be revealed until another few chapters so hang in there :)  
_

_For those who have read The Ruby Circle, you know exactly what I mean when I say that at least 40% of my story is, now, incorrect. I'm conflicted if I should take some time and rewrite (and then I mean a MAJOR rewrite) of those chapters to get the correct information or if I will just accept that fact that I wrote a fanfiction that's not completely correct in relation to the books. I'll figure that out!_

_See you again next week!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	25. Chapter 24

**Twenty four **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_July_

"Four... Five... Six... Seven", Sergei's face was red with exertion and his biceps almost burst as he lifted Mila up in the air with the strength of his arms.

"Three more!" she urged and tensed her body a little more until she was as stiff as a plank.

"Eight... Nine... Ten!" He gently put her down and sat up on the bench press, flexing his muscles despite the tiredness from the work-out.

"You're getting heavy!" He winked at Mila, who slapped his arm in return. Sergei was a friend of Mila's; short, bulky and with an impressive tan after six months of working in Greece.

"And you're getting fat", she countered.

I chuckled. "The heavier the weight, the bigger the training."

Mila glared amusingly at me and Sergei flexed his muscles again. He'd been a personal trainer for almost five years and was no stranger to the secret and tricks or building muscles. His neck was thick as a bull's and his arms was almost the size of Mila's calves.

"Can you do more than me?" he asked, growing cocky from his achievement of lifting a fit woman in the air. "Those arms of yours look a little tiny."

I snorted. "Of course I can." I felt a little smug over the fact that I might not look as bulky as Sergei, but my Dhampir genes made my physically stronger.

He made a gesture at Mila and patted the seat of the bench press. "Prove it."

I rolled my shoulder a few times before I laid down on the bench press. After some trouble and impressive acrobatic movements from Mila, I held her tensed body almost as one would hold a barbell. She wasn't that heavy, despite her amount of muscles, and using her as a bench press wouldn't be much of an effort.

"One... two... three... four", I counted as I lifted Mila up and down. When I passed 10, Sergei's smug face faded a little and when I passed 20, he looked almost annoyed. I could hear Mila snickering, though she made a good attempt to stay straight and tensed so that I wouldn't drop her.

"Show-off", he mumbled, taking a large sip from his bottle of water. Since he had lost interest, I carefully put her down on her ground.

"I think that I have filled my quota for today", she said. "Are you two coming out for coffee after this?"

"I need to get back to work", Sergei said. "I was only able to take a longer lunch."

"Alexei?" Mila asked with pleading eyes.

I considered it for a second. "Sure, I have nothing else to do today."

Her face shone up. "Perfect! I'll hop into the shower and I'll see you outside!"

* * *

Mila and I found a small table by the window at a café a few blocks away from the gym. It was shortly after 1 pm and several customers came and went after buying a coffee to-go and a sandwich for lunch. Most of the tables where occupied by young girls that skipped the class after lunch or women each bouncing a baby on their knee while sharing a lonely muffin.

Just as we had placed our coffee cups down on the table, my phone vibrated.

"Sorry", I excused myself and hauled the phone up from my pocket. I felt my heart skip a beat as I saw that it was a MMS from Mirabel. Opening the message, a photo of Mirabel and Gregory filled the screen.

He was smiling wide into the camera, curled up in the corner of the sofa with a bright green toy crocodile in his arms. Mirabel was sitting next to him, her arm resting against the top of the sofa. She was also smiling into the camera, although a light smile with a playful rising of those beautifully arched eyebrows.

"What is it?" Mila laughed. "You're grinning like a fool."

I glanced up at her. "I got a picture from Mirabel."

"Oh really?" Mila asked and leaned a little over the table. "You know, I have heard very little about your girlfriend. Do you have a photo of her?"

I hadn't talked much about Mirabel to Mila, mostly because we rarely talked about casual things at the gym and we didn't hang out that much outside of it. On the contrary, Mirabel knew as much as I did about Mila. She hadn't been so keen on me spending time alone with another woman, even if our intentions were nothing but friendly, but she had assured me that she trusted me. Of course, I had been a little nervous that she was right and that Mila really had a romantically intent. But as the weeks turned into months, I couldn't detect anything romantically.

I turned my phone around and showed her the picture that she just sent.

Mila raised her eyebrows. "Wow! She looks great! Who's the little guy?"

I cleared my throat. I hadn't told her about Gregory yet and I was a little scared about what she would think if she knew that I had a two year old son.

"That's my son, Gregory", I admitted. "He lives with Mirabel in America."

Mila's smile slowly faded. "I had no idea that you had a son. How old is he?"

"Two and a half years", I said. "I haven't seen him since the day he was born."

"Oh my god", Mila exclaimed and leaned even more over the table, catching the attention of some of the girls a few tables away. "Why haven't you told me this?"

I glanced at her, trying to lighten the mood with a small smirk. "You didn't ask."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not a reason. I had no idea! What happened between you two?"

"Nothing", I said, looking down at the surface of my coffee. "I wasn't allowed to stay in America anymore."

"You were studying there, right?"

I nodded. "Then I worked for half a year before I was… deported, for a lack of better word."

Mila cupped her hands around her own cup. "I assume that you are trying to go back to them?"

"As soon as I can. But I have my job here now and... And it might take a while before I can return."

Mila only nodded, not asking any further questions about why I couldn't return - to my luck. "He looks a lot like you", she said. "He's really adorable."

"Thank you", I smiled. "I have to teach him Russian, he's a bit behind on that."

Mila laughed. "That sounds good. I hope that everything works out for you two - - three."

"Thank you", I repeated, taking a sip of my coffee.

* * *

**_November_**

I almost always spent an hour or two of my day off training with Mila. It was a perfect combination to maintain somewhat of a social life and a way to keep up my physical strength.

Tonight however, I had been training on my own. Mila had been caught up at work and couldn't spend her evening lifting weights with me. The time had passed much slower than usual.

I had spent almost the entire day off in the city for a change. Even though it was only November, I had already started to shop for Christmas gifts. I needed to plan this carefully, since I needed to ship them to Mirabel and have them arrive before Christmas.

At this time of year, it began to go dark at 4 pm. The short hours of sun were almost depressing, at least until the snow arrived and brought some light and winter-feeling to everything. However, there were flickers of light to give zest for life.

Almost every building in town that I passed was lined with lights, regular as with colorful lightning. Trees cornering the roads were heavily decorated, lightning up a glowing silhouette. The town square was occupied by a fair, salespersons yelling out their merchandise to catch someone's attention. I took a short turn around the fair, inspecting some homemade cups of wood some lady had made and got a knitted scarf propped up in my face as someone tried to make me consider to buy it. I bought a large take-away cup of mulled wine from a heavily bearded man who only charged me 60 roble for it.

I stepped aside for a moment, far enough so that someone didn't bother to see me as a customer, and sipped on my mulled wine. The chatter around me was comforting to listen to, even if it was desperate calls from salespersons or customers trying to haggle over the price.

When I had finished my mulled wine, I threw the cup into a trashcan and headed back to the car with my purchases.

* * *

It didn't take many seconds after I stepped inside the Zeklos house that I realized that something was wrong. Very wrong.

The small table in the hallway was knocked over and the lamp that had stood on the surface laid in a thousand pieces on the carpet. An eerie silence rested in the air, almost like the calmness after a storm, although not in a calming way.

All my senses sprung into high alert. A light smell of something thick and metallic hit my nose. I tried to register any movement that I saw and any sound that I heard. But I heard and saw nothing.

A curtain blew gently in the wind that wheezed in from the broken patio door in the living room. That curtain lightly grazed the lifeless foot of a body lying beneath the window.

It took all my willpower to turn away from the body and enter the kitchen before I found out who had been killed. Had there been a sign that the person was still alive, I might have considered shortening my scan around the house and helped. But the longer time that passed and then longer the eerie silence continued, I feared that no one that had been present in this house had been left alive.

Every room on the bottom floor was empty, all left as I left it this morning. Not a single cabinet was touched; not even the liquor cabinet in the living room, which made me think that this definitely wasn't a regular burglary. I had already considered Strigoi, but there was still a chance that regular humans had made an attempt to steal something valuable and knocked the residents over when they put up a fight.

I didn't put my stake away as I walked over to the corpse by the window, but I wasn't on high alert anymore since I knew that I was alone here. There was surprisingly little blood around Mr. Zeklos's body, though he had been bleeding from his nose. All Moroi was pale, but there was something about the grey, chalky paleness of a blood-drained corpse. I no longer had a doubt, Strigoi had been here.

I found Guardian Pavlik and Mrs. Zeklos on the top floor. She had also been drained, thrown upon the bed sheets that only had a few red drops on them. Guardian Pavlik had been left untouched, his neck twisted almost 180 degrees. The skin had broken in a few places on the neck and throat and his face rested in a moderate pile of blood.

I found myself waiting. Perhaps even waiting for one of them to stand up and nothing would have changed. I hadn't seen many dead people and I was always stunned by the silence and the stillness of them. I had only known them as alive; walking, talking and sometimes even laughing. This stillness, this deadly silence, was almost deafening.

* * *

I managed to get out to the top floor hallway before my legs gave in beneath me and I had to hold onto the staircase banisters to keep me on my feet.

All my thoughts and self confidence that I was a good guardian left me as if someone had knocked the air out of my lungs. Had I been a good guardian, I wouldn't let my assignment out of my sight for even a second. I promised to do my best to protect them, but I hadn't even been here to try. I would have died trying.

I sunk down onto the floor, desperately clutching the banister as if my life depended on it.

What would happen now? How low would I be in the other guardians' eyes when they found out that I failed to guard another assignment? I was 22 years old and had already had - and failed - two assignments. A good guardian wouldn't have been sent away, dismissed from their service, in the first place.

I sat on the floor so long that my legs went numb, although a striking pain went through my stiff limbs as I tried to move them. I tried to think forward, what should I do now? Someone had to know about this, someone must know what do to in times like this.

Except that I had no phone numbers, no information on who to call or what to do in situations like this. Did I call another guardian stationed in Russia? Did I call the Guardian Headquarters in Pennsylvania and they somehow magically sent someone in Russia here to help out?

The only possibility I had, at least the only one that came to mind, to contact someone was through Guardian Belikov's email. He had helped me before, with giving me the number to Mirabel, so he might be able to contact the right people.

* * *

Afterwards, as a handful of guardians discreetly took care of the tragic mess in the Zeklos house, I was impressed and surprised that Guardian Belikov reacted so fast to my email. Somehow, he managed to get them to send one Guardian, who had an assignment nearby, to validate my information and that Guardian had a whole team here within half an hour. I reread the email later and it was slightly incoherent and the letters misspelled (probably because I was shaking), hence my surprise.

"Guardian Boyarov?" Someone tapped on my shoulder and I flinched from the unexpected touch.

"Y-yes?"

It was a female guardian, perhaps in her mid 40's. I could see that she was shaken and tired, but she still smiled gently at me. "I'm going to drive you to the airport. Do you have your things packed?"

"The airport?" I asked. "Where am I going?"

* * *

_Oooh, where do you think that he's going this time?_

_My Beta asked if I was trying to make Alexei depressed when she read this chapter (again, thank you for being amazing!), but I can assure you that's not what I'm trying to do!  
_

_Have a good weekend!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	26. Chapter 25

**Twenty five **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

My hopes of finally being sent back to America were crushed when the airport ticket showed that I was flying to Omsk. I had no idea what I was going to do there or why they sent me there, the guardians on spot didn't seem to know either. At least they could promise me that it wasn't a new assignment. They could even promise that it would take a little while before I was ready to go back to work.

I spent the entire flight in a state of numbness, staring into the back of the seat in front of me. The coffee that I had ordered stood untouched on the folding table, it probably got cold an hour ago. It was surprisingly quiet on the plane. No babies screaming and no music slipping out from someone's headphones.

When I landed in Omsk, a guardian with black sunglasses waited for me at the arrival hall.

"Do you know where I'm going?" I asked.

"It's a 9 hour drive from here. My instructions are to drop you off there."

The insane amount of driving time gave me an instant flashback from last time I did this journey.

"Am I going to Baia?"

"I have no idea why, but that's the orders. Have you been there before?"

"Yes."

"Do you know someone there?"

"Casually. Did you pull the short straw taking me there?"

The guardian smiled at me. "It paid well and I'm actually on sick-leave, took a stab wound in the shoulder in a regular mugging a few weeks ago."

I raised my eyebrows. "A mugging? How did you leave the muggers?"

He laughed. "In a pile in the alley. If we leave now, we'll be there before nightfall."

* * *

It was a tearful Olena that met me in the doorway. Her eyes were red and she was puffy beneath her eyes. I tried to open my mouth to give my condolences, but not a word came to my lips.

However, I didn't seem like I needed to say anything. Olena pulled me into a large hug and pressed her head against my chest. Though I was taken by surprise, it was unexpectedly easy to ease into the comfort of her embrace.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, drying a tear away from her cheek. "The girls are out shopping for dinner, but I can see what I can make."

I shook my head. "No trouble for my sake. I'm very grateful that I can stay here for a little while."

Olena placed a soft hand on my cheek and smiled at me, despite her grief. "Of course, sweetheart. We are all glad to have you here."

"I'm sorry for your loss", I said, finally being able to press the words through my lips. I barely dared to look her in the eyes. I felt guilty about everything that had happened and I was indebted to them for taking me in (I still didn't know the reason for that) when they were all wallowing in grief.

Olena's eyes filled with tears again and she gave me a weak smile. "Thank you. I haven't had much contact with him for over 25 years but… I would be lying if I said that I don't mourn him."

"I - - I would have done - -", I started, but a lump began to grow in my throat and threatened to make my voice break. "Anything that I could to - -."

Olena began to shake her head. "No, no! I'm not blaming you for anything and neither do my children. We wouldn't have blamed you even if you were there when it happened."

"It still feels as if I didn't do enough", I mumbled. "It feels like my fault."

"Dimitri's first assignment also died outside of his watch. They were good friends and he felt responsible for that for years afterwards", Olena mentioned.

"How did he get over it?" I asked.

"I'm not sure if he has, even now. But he learned to live with it, though he doesn't seem to listen to me when I tell him that there was nothing he could do. I'm just happy that he wasn't killed along with his friend. I'm making myself a cup of tea before the girls come home, do you want a cup?"

I nodded. "Yes please."

Olena gestured to me to take a seat while she proceeded to boil some water for the tea. I could see the signs already that the Belikov's were preparing for a memorial service for Mr. Zeklos. Several bowls of bread in a state of ferment, towels covering the top of it, stood at the end of the table. The scent of cooking still hung in the air; spices, meat, chicken and fried vegetables.

Olena put down a cup of steaming hot tea in front of me and sat down on the chair in front of me. She immediately started to sip on it, not noticeable bothered by the fact that it was practically scorching.

"Why did you take me in?" I asked, slowly stirring the honey around in my tea. "I'm very grateful for it, I had nowhere else to go but… I was only Mr. Zeklos's guardian."

Olena glanced up at me, though staying silent for a few seconds before admitting the truth. "Dimitri asked me to do that favor for him. Karolina must have told him that you had been here when she heard that you had met him in America."

"That was very kind of him", I mumbled.

"You made an impression on him", Olena said. "He speaks very fondly of you."

I barely dared to believe that I could have made an impression on Guardian Dimitri Belikov himself; there are few guardians who had reached the same level as a guardian as him, I doubted that a simple novice could have made an impression that big that he asked his family to take him in when his assignment got killed. The fact that I had been his father's guardian could have had a part in his and his family's kindness of caring for me.

"Why?"

Olena's eyes twinkled a little and it wasn't from tears this time. "Perhaps you remind him of himself."

Our conversation was interrupted by the front door and a stream of somber voices filled the previous silence in the house. Olena rose from the table and went to greet them when Karolina entered the kitchen.

"Hi Alexei", she said, holding out to arms to me. Her eyes were also red from crying and she looked as if she hadn't slept for 48 hours. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

"I should be asking you the same", I said, giving her a hug. "But I've been better."

She nodded. "Me too. Oh, there is someone that I want you to meet."

At that moment, a tall Dhampir guy, probably reaching shortly over 6'1 feet (186 cm) stepped inside in doorway. His dark brown hair was filled with snowflakes from the falling snow outside. He was familiar, but I was sure that I hadn't met him before.

"This is my son, Paul He'll stay here during the memorial", Karolina introduced him. "Paul, this is Alexei."

I had a feeling that she had talked about me before, but I let it slip past me. "Nice to meet you, Paul."

"You too", he said, his eyebrows slightly narrowed in bewilderment. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" I asked.

"Help Zoya with the grocery bags, will you Paul?" Karolina interrupted and patted her son on the back, giving me a short glance before she followed to help out.

I watched the Belikov family prepare tonight's dinner with my head spinning with questions and thoughts. I hadn't set foot in this house for two and a half years, yet I had been welcomed with more warmth and affection than Mr. Zeklos had been who had been a part of this family – a rather distant part, but anyway – of this family for over 40 years.

Perhaps I was wrong to think so much about this. Perhaps I should just be happy that I had somewhere to stay until it had been decided where I would go next. But I had a nagging thought in my head that there was more to this than just a request from Guardian Belikov.

* * *

The following morning, I woke up before the sun was up. Paul, whom I had been sharing a room with during the night, was still snoring in his spot on the bed. My back hurt a little from sleeping on the old, thin mattress on top of the hard floor.

Quietly, I grabbed my clothes from the chair by the door and put them on. I tried to make the door creak a little as possible, a disadvantage that I noticed yesterday, and hoped that its sound wouldn't wake anyone up. The low voices coming from downstairs subdued as I approached the bottom steps of the stairs and turned into the living room.

Olena was up – of course, she seemed to go to bed after everyone else had and was up before everyone else was – and sitting in the living room with two other women. The younger one, perhaps 15 years old, was sleeping on the couch with a knitted blanked over her. The other woman, woman in her early 40's, sat comfortably in one of the armchairs.

She lit up when she saw me, but that smile rapidly faded away. "Oh sorry, I thought that it was Dimitri", she apologized.

"You must be Sonya", I said. She was the only one of the Belikov sisters that I hadn't met yet. She was more physically similar to Karolina than she was similar to Viktoria, but they all had the same long, thick, dark-brown hair.

She nodded, her eyes scanning me skeptically and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I'm Sonya. And you are…?"

"Alexei Boyarov. I am – was – your father's guardian."

"Dimka trained him in America", Olena added. "And when - - when Igor died, Dimka asked if Alexei could stay here until he could get him back to America."

My heard jerked up. "He's trying to get me back?"

Sonya's eyebrows narrowed. "Why do you want to go back? I thought that you were Russian?"

There was no doubt that Sonya was skeptical about me showing up here. This wasn't the first time that someone in this family had mistaken me for another male member of the family. First it was Paul, two and a half year ago, and now it was Guardian Belikov.

I nodded. "I am. But I have someone waiting for me there."

Sonya looked a little surprised over my answer, although she shouldn't be so surprised that a guardian has a relationship since both Karolina and Guardian Belikov are married to another guardian, but her tense expression softened into a hint of a smile. Olena's face, on the other hand, shone up in a dimpled smile.

"You have? What's her name?"

"Mirabel", I answered. "We've been together for almost four years."

"That's sweet", Olena smiled. "What did she say when you came back here?"

I hesitated for a moment. Even though I trusted them all, I didn't really want to let them know that the only reason that I was back in Russia was because my girlfriend's parents were angry that she had a Dhampir child with me. In all honesty… I was ashamed that they would think less of me.

"It was tough on us both in the beginning but… it's going better", I smiled. _Much better since Guardian Belikov sent me her number. _"I can't wait to see her and again."

Silence fell over the living room, though broke when Olga rolled to the edge of the sofa so far that she almost rolled off it and woke up with a yelp.

* * *

"Alexei, you are the only one who knew Igor in present times. Can you tell us a little how he was when you stayed with him?"

Everyone had gathered in the living room, apart from Viktoria's son who was sleeping upstairs; occupying the armchairs, sofa and some cushions on the floor. Tea candles had been lit around the entire room, its golden flare cast dancing shadows on the wall. The remainders of tonight's dinner, a small memorial-dinner for Mr. Zeklos, his wife and his guardian, were growing cold on the table. Everyone's eyes turned towards me and Viktoria put a gentle hand on top of her mother's clasped hands.

I cleared my throat, nervously glancing around. I wasn't sure what I was nervous of, half the people here hadn't met him more than perhaps once or twice. And from what I picked up when I came here the first time with Mr. Zeklos, I got the impression that he wasn't _entirely _welcomed.

"I didn't know him very well as a person. I was his guardian and that kept me on a distance. But… he was a very private man. He was kind and calm, though not always very affectionate."

I was going to continue give my description of Mr. Zeklos, or Igor as everyone else knew him as. But Sonya interrupted me with raised eyebrows.

"Kind? You've known him for four years and one of the first things you say are _kind_?"

I nodded hesitantly. "Yes, was that wrong of me?"

Sonya snorted and leaned back in the sofa. The others; Olena, Karolina and Viktoria, all shared a glance with each other and then turned their gazes away. I noticed it immediately.

"What?" I asked.

"We…" Karolina started, glancing down onto her hands which she anxiously rubbed against her thighs. "We know him a little differently than you do."

I awaited a continuation to her words, but the silence just grew thicker. I noticed that Paul, Zoya and Olga also looked a little confused while Viktoria and Sonya looked rather uncomfortable. Finally, Karolina looked at her mother who nodded in agreement.

"Our father has been in my life for as long as I can remember and he has always been unkind to Mama for as long as I can remember. He started drinking a little more than usual shortly after Dimka was born, I've heard. And the more he drank the more abusive he got. I remember fragments of yelling and crying, I was hiding upstairs with Dimitri and Sonya, though she was just a baby."

I noticed that Olena's lowered her eyes, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. Paul, Zoya and Olga seemed as stunned as I was and I felt a light stab in my heart that someone would ever want to harm such a kind and gentle-hearted woman like Olena.

"This went on for several years. He visited more often, he drank more and more often and he…" she trailed off, but everyone knew what she was planning on saying. He drank more often, so he hit Olena more often.

"Did it ever stop?" Olga asked with a thin voice.

A ghost of a smile played on Karolina's lips as she nodded. "When I was 15, a brave man put an end to it."

"Who?"

"Your uncle Dimitri", Karolina smiled. "He was only 13 years old, but he was already taller and stronger than our father. We were all tried of his cruel behavior towards Mama, but no one but Dimka dared to do anything about it. He knocked him down so hard that it took almost two decades to show his face here again."

I noticed that Paul tried to hide a smile, probably because it might be a little rude to smile at the thought of someone knocking down one's grandfather. Even if that person is your uncle and that the grandfather had it coming. Olga didn't smile at all. She rose from her seat and rushed up to hug Olena.

"I had no idea…" she mumbled, burying her face into her grandmother's shoulder. "I'm sorry that he did that to you."

Olena smiled and gently stroke her head. "If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have gotten my four wonderful children. And without them, I wouldn't have all these beautiful grandchildren."

"And we all turned out decent, despite the heritage!" Paul exclaimed and ruffled Zoya's hair, to her displeasure.

"You still have a lot to live up to", Zoya muttered. "And we're still wondering if you're decent."

* * *

When the small memorial, which hadn't been more than a toast to his memory and stories of his life, was over Olena chased the girls into the kitchen to help with all the dishes. Paul and I were sent to the small stock outside to gather and chop more wood for the fireplace.

It was freezing outside, the snow gathering up beside us as we tried to chop the frozen blocks of wood into smaller pieces. I had borrowed some old gloves, but my fingers were still so cold that I couldn't feel them.

"That should be enough", Paul said and grabbed one of the two baskets that were filled with wood. We placed them by the fire so that they could have a chance to dry before I went to find Karolina. I had had a thought in my head that I needed an answer to and I was sure that she wasn't going to deny me an answer.

"Karolina?" I asked, gently tapping her shoulder with my finger. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Karolina nodded and wiped her wet hands on a kitchen towel. She followed me into the back of the kitchen, safety out of ears from everyone else.

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"I need to ask something and it's a little… strange."

Karolina tried to hide a smile, but she just nodded at me to continue.

"This morning, something odd happened. Sonya and her daughter were here very early and I met them before the rest of you had woken up. But when she saw me she mistook me for Guardian Bel- - for your brother Dimitri."

She opened her mouth to answer, but I hadn't finished talking yet.

"When I was here last time, Mr. Zeklos thought that I was his and your mother's son and Viktoria thought that I was your son, Paul. I'm not a fool. Three times now, someone has mistaken me for someone in your family."

"What are you getting at?" Karolina asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I took a quick look around, making sure that no one was eavesdropping. "Am I an idiot to think that my presence here is something more than just Guardian Belikov feeling sorry for me?"

Karolina took a deep breath, glancing up at me with a gaze that said that I put her in a difficult position. She turned her head around and called for her mother, giving her a short summary of what I had just asked her when she approached.

"Dimitri has kept this a secret far longer than I thought", Olena sighed. She placed an arm around my shoulders and led me to the kitchen table, chasing Olga away when she asked if we needed any help.

"Secret about what?"

"Before he graduated from St. Basil's, he dated a Moroi girl named Nina. I met her once, she seemed very sweet. They didn't stay together after graduation, he was too focused on his profession as a guardian that he didn't even consider to have a relationship. Of course, that was until he met Rose."

Her face softened when she thought of her son and daughter-in-law.

"Anyway... Everything started when you came to Court for the first time and trained with them. Rose saw the similarities between you and Dimitri long before everyone else did and connected pieces that may have seemed farfetched at the moment, but made more and more sense the more they thought about it."

I sat as perplexed, my mind numb apart from one line that spun around in my head. _The similarities between you and Dimitri._

"Are you saying that Guardian Belikov is my father? And that _he_ dated my mother before they graduated?"

Olena nodded. "Dimitri found a picture of you and your mother in the file where she died, it was a Strigoi attack, right?"

I nodded. "When I was six."

"I have seen that photo and – ", she placed her hands above mine. At that moment I realized that my own hands were shaking. "And you look so much like Dimitri when he was a little boy. You have his eyes."

"Was that why he requested that you took care of me? Because I'm his s-son?"

Olena nodded again and I noticed Karolina discreetly wiping the corner of her eye. "Yes, it was. And we are genuinely happy to have you here. There is no evidence, nothing written on paper that says that you are his son, but I can't for a moment doubt it. You look a lot like your mother, but I can see things in you that are so much like Dimitri."

I felt tears rise in my own eyes and I had to tear my hands away from her warm grasp to wipe them away. I had so many emotions swirling around in me. I had gone from having a small family far away with no other relatives to a whole clan of warm and open aunts, cousins and grandmother. It wouldn't have matter if I hadn't been related to them by blood, they were more of a family to me then I had ever known.

Olena wiped away a tear from her own eyes. "Can I give you a hug? I never thought that I would get to hug a child of Dimitri's."

"Of course", I said, voice cracking a little, and stood up so that I could give _my grandmother_ a hug.

* * *

_I tried not to make the end of this chapter so cheesy, but then I couldn't help myself... And for those of you who guessed that he was going back to America, good guess but not yet! :D I wasn't quite done with him in Russia ;)  
_

_I'll upload again next week!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	27. Chapter 26

**Twenty six **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_January. Pennsylvania, USA._

I lived with the Belikov family – my family – for almost three months before I got a call that said that I was expected on a plane from Moscow to New York the following weekend. A psychologist and a physical therapist would meet me at the Moroi Royal Court and evaluate my physical and mental health before they could make a decision on how long it would take before I would be back in the field again.

I seemed to have travelled from one surreal feeling to another during these past months. Feelings from everything between grief, surprise, confusion and happiness. From the killing at the Zeklos house to the revelation about my relation to Guardian Belikov to, finally, my long journey back to America, Mirabel and Gregory.

* * *

As I stepped off the plane in New York, I felt the sense of hope for the first time along with a tight ball of anticipation growing in my stomach. Surprisingly, it hadn't been enough with just stepping onto the plane, I had to step off it to realize that I was so close to the dream that I had had for the past four years.

I retrieved my luggage and set course for the arrival hall, ready to find the fastest and easiest way to rent a car that could take me to Pennsylvania. However, a familiar figure waited for me in the front row of the awaiting family and friends. Since every secret about my parentage was out in the open now, I shouldn't have been entirely surprised.

Despite having met him before, it was a nerve-racking feeling to see his figure knowing that he is my father. I tried to approach him straight-backed and with confidence, but instead I think my nervousness shone through quite clearly.

"Guardian Belikov", I said in Russian, out of habit, and greeted him with a short nod.

He was casually dressed, probably off-duty when he left Court. He wore dark jeans, a military green quilted-down jacket and a knitted hat that I could bet money on that Olena had made for him.

"Call me Dimitri, please", he said, smiling slightly. I thought he might have been a little nervous too. "We're far past addressing each other with titles."

"Dimitri", I corrected myself. "Did you drive all the way here to pick me up?"

He nodded. "I thought that you should be spared the drive after a long flight."

"Thank you", I said. He grabbed one of my suitcases and guided me to where he had parked the car, a large SUV used by the Court's guardians.

"Did my mother and sisters take good care of you?" He asked.

"No one could have treated me better", I smiled, already missing their company. "I'm happy that I got a chance to get to know them."

"How were all the children?"

"They were good. Although they all returned to school after the memorial."

"Did you attend the funeral?" Dimitri asked, placing my suitcases in the trunk. His voice hardened a little when he mentioned the funeral, but he didn't seem too sentimental about talking about his father's burial.

I shook my head. "No… No one in your family was invited."

He paused for a second. "Oh", he just said, jumping into the driver's seat. He pulled out from the parking lot and headed for the highway. The music from a CD filled some of the silence in the car. When we reached the highway, Dimitri broke the silence.

"Since this is the first time that we meet since you found out… is there anything that you want to ask me?"

"I do, actually", I said, surprising myself by coming up with a question that I hadn't already asked someone. "How many knows about our relation?"

"Rose and my family, of course. But also Christian and Vasilisa."

"Why did you wait three years before telling me? Three years more or less doesn't matter much to me but… Were you ashamed of me?"

"No", Dimitri instantly replied. "No, definitely not." He took a huge breath, pressing together the bridge of his nose with his left hand, before he continued. "It was a huge shock for me to find out that I have a son old enough to have graduated high school. And I was afraid that you finding out who your father is would have done more harm than good."

"Would you have told me eventually?"

The corner of his mouth pulled up in a grin. "You would have found my interest in your life very weird if you didn't know."

I chuckled. "You may be right about that. And thank you for everything that you have done for me. Sending Mirabel's number to me and asking your family to take me in after…" I trailed off a little, but he didn't seem bothered that I talked about his father's death.

"… After Mr. Zeklos died. Without that I wouldn't have returned here with my insanity intact, if I would return at all."

Dimitri took his eyes of the road for a few seconds to look at me. "You're welcome."

"Can I ask another question?"

"Of course."

I hesitated a little. "What was she like? My mother I mean, when you knew her."

He was quiet for such a long time that I thought that he wouldn't answer me. But then I realized that he was just looking for the words. "She was sweet. She was always very calm and kind and she loved to read books. She had one book that she always kept by her nightstand, it was –"

"The Green Mile by Stephen King", I interrupted. "I found it among her things."

The corner of his mouth pulled up in a short smile. "Exactly. She was very clever, at the top of her class. You're a lot more like her than you think."

"Do you think that she would have liked Mirabel?"

Dimitri chuckled and nodded in agreement. "She definitely would have. She would have liked any girl that you brought home as long as that girl loved you more than anything."

* * *

We arrived at Court in the middle of the day (or the night for most Moroi), the January sun shining brightly over my head, reflecting itself in the tiny crystals in the snow. I took a few seconds to enjoy the warmth against my face as I stepped out of the car I had taken from the airport before I approached the two Moroi women waiting for me by the Court's gates.

"Good evening, I'm Emma Alden, registered psychologist. How are you doing?" One of the women asked me with a wide smile, nodding shortly at Guard- - Dimitri. _I had to remember to call him that from now on._ She seemed surprisingly alert for having to work in the middle of the night, in comparison to her colleague who looked as if she wouldn't wake up even if someone poured her five cups of coffee.

"Tired", I said, trying to redirect my mind into English. "It was a long flight."

"I can understand that", she smiled. "We were supposed to bring you to the evaluation, but you look like you can use some sleep and the Queen would like to see you."

"The Queen? At this hour?" I asked. "It is in the middle of the night."

"No, first thing in the morning", Emma Alden said. "She requested a private audience by 10 o'clock. Shall we leave?"

"I can show him to his room", Dimitri offered. "We wouldn't want to keep you up longer than necessary."

"Thank you", she said. "But it was no trouble. I will be waiting for you after your meeting with the Queen and bring you to the evaluation, okay?"

I nodded. "Thank you."

Dimitri picked up one of my suitcases again and nudged me in the direction to one of the Guardian residential buildings.

"Did she get up in the middle of the night just to say hello to me?" I asked in Russian since Dimitri was the only one around.

"I believe so. I have understood that she prefers to meet her patients as soon as she can to get a good first impression."

"But the incident happened months ago?" I said, narrowing my eyebrows. "It's not like I came fresh from a crime scene."

Dimitri gave me a half-smile. "It's a standard procedure. Normally, they try to bring in the guardians as soon as the incident happens, but since you haven't been available they'll bring you in now. They want to make sure that you can still do your job."

"As long as I don't have to calculate angles or anything like that, I should be fine", I said.

That actually made him chuckle. "I think so too."

* * *

The following morning, after a sleep that had been far too short, I went to see the Queen. I couldn't stop wondering about why I was summoned to an audience. My first thought was that I had done something wrong, but I had hardly had time to eat since I came here.

She let me in immediately as I arrived, into a small study connecting to the throne room. A fire was sparkling in the large fireplace by the comfortable-looking sofas. The sky was dark outside the windows, though I could still see the snowflakes falling down to the ground.

Queen Vasilisa was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a very elegant jacket and straight black pants. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled up in a strict knot at the back of her head. She always managed to look so elegant and regal, even if she could have passed for a regular business woman if she hadn't been known as Queen.

"Your majesty", I said, bowing deeply to her.

"Bowing is really not necessary now", she said, her angelic face lighting up in a smile. "Especially since I have some apologizing to do."

"You are Queen, you have nothing to apologize for."

She smiled faintly. "Just because I'm Queen it doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes. I should have done more to stop my Capt- - my former Captain for accepting the bribes and having you sent away. I could have done much more than I did."

"I put myself in that situation", I persisted.

"Your actions were not the issue. Guardian Simmons broke many regulations by removing you from my service without my consent. He could reassign other guardians if he deemed it necessary, but the guardians of the Queen and her family are another matter and the guardians must be strictly trusted", she remarked. "Rose and Dimitri both saw that you were capable to guard my son and it should have stayed that way."

"Was there anything that you could have done?" I asked.

"Perhaps." She gestured towards the sofas by the fire and sunk down in one of them. I followed her example and took a seat on the other sofa. "I could have ordered you back, despite all the paperwork that would have followed. Your case was put to the council in connection with Guardian Simmons hearing. But Guardian Pavoni's, Lucas's new guardian, skills and credibility had already been tried and found adequate and… the council voted for a more experienced guardian."

I nodded that I had understood, though it hurt a little inside my chest that I had been so easily replaced. I understood that it was an important matter and it was about the safety of one of the few Dragomir's left in the world and it hurt more than I wanted to admit that someone so easily had found someone to take my place.

"If it is possible, I will do what I can to ease your troubles", Queen Vasilisa offered. "If you wish, you can have your old assignment back. I will happily let you protect my son again. Unless you have a request of your own?"

"Mirabel Ozera", I immediately responded. "Your majesty, it would please me greatly if her life was mine to protect."

Queen Vasilisa smiled at me, or perhaps she smiled at my way to in English express myself like a medieval knight. "I could almost have guessed that. Lady Ozera put in a request for you as well as her guardian when she found out that you were returning here."

She rose from her seat, despite practically just sitting down, and waved me over to her. She placed both her hands on my upper arms and looked me in the eyes. It crossed my mind me that she was almost as tall as me.

"I will grant you your request to become her guardian. Conveniently, she's been covered by her husband's guardian and never put in a request for a guardian of her own", she smiled lightly. "Monarchs before me, an unfortunately some people on my council, would dislike the idea of putting a guardian and a Moroi with a love interest together. But I don't see the harm in that. I have faith in you when you say that you will protect her with your life if it comes to it. I believe that you are fit to guard her more than any other."

Had she continued talking, I'm sure that she would have brought tears to my eyes. Her words hit spot on. I would gladly lay down my life for Mirabel, Gregory or both of them if I had to. There wasn't anything that I wouldn't do for them.

"I will."

Queen Vasilisa's smile widened. "I'm not going to keep you here any longer, the faster you can do the evaluation the faster you can start your job with your new assignment. I will overlook the transfer myself."

"Thank you, your majesty", I said with sincere gratitude. "Thank you."

* * *

_Well, would you look at that! :D Things are starting to work out for him! Are you ready for him to reunite with Mirabel yet? ;)  
_

_Hope that you liked it!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	28. Chapter 27

**Twenty seven **

_**Mirabel Ozera**_

I had waited years for that knock on the door. I wasn't even exaggerating when I said years. Before our involuntarily separation, it could feel like years between our secret moments at St. Vladimir's and our stolen kisses in the Court's library. Now, I had been waiting three years to be able to steal another kiss.

I wasn't sure what I had been expecting when I opened the door, but I wasn't disappointed. There he was. In the flesh, in all his glory. He looked just as he had when I saw him the last time. His black hair was still short, his brown eyes were still deep and intelligent and his mouth still had that tiny smirk that appeared when he was slightly amused. His chin and jaw were a little more defined, a little more man than teenager.

He was even more handsome then I remembered, my imagination and the pictures of him hadn't done him justice. It had helped on a bad day, but it was nothing compared to seeing him in real life again.

He opened up his arms and I was in them within a second. His clothes smelled of him, distantly familiar and so enchanting. Warm tears started to roll down my cheeks, soaking a piece of his shirt. His strong arms closed around me, embracing me against his safe torso.

"I can't believe that you are here", I whispered, pulling him closer to me as if I was afraid that he would vanish again. "I'm almost afraid that you're just a dream."

Alexei moved one hand away from my back and gently put his fingers below my chin, tilting my head up. Softly, as if someone had graced a feather against them, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.

"I am not a dream", he mumbled, kissing me tenderly again. "I am very real."

"I've missed you" I sniveled. "More than you can ever imagine."

"I will never leave your side again."

When I opened my eyes, I admired the dark brown color of his eyes behind the veil of tears that clouded my vision. "Do you promise?"

His mouth – _those beautiful lips – _curved into a smile. "I promise. Queen Vasilisa allowed me to be your guardian."

I let out a squeal, pressing both my hands against my mouth to not scream out loud. If my heart had been beating fast before, it was almost beating its way out of my ribcage by now. I repeated the line in my head several time before I actually understood its meaning. _He will never leave my side again. _

"Really?" I asked, though it came out muffled beneath my hands.

"Really", Alexei smiled widely, showing all of his white teeth. "Now you will never be rid of me."

With another squeal, I threw my arms around his neck, hugging it so hard I was afraid that I would hurt him. He closed his arms around my waist again, lifting me up from the floor a few inches.

"I wouldn't want it any other way", I sighed happily.

Alexei carefully put me down on the floor again, suddenly stretching his neck to look for something above my head. "Where's Gregory? Can I see him?"

"He's in his play room", I said. "I'll get him for you."

Alexei waited in the living room as I crossed the small hallway and directly to the right where I had been allowed to set up a play room for Gregory. I should have learned by now that there is no possible way to leave that kid alone.

He had torn up all the toys from the toy box and thrown them onto the floor, probably only playing with it for a few seconds at the time before moving onto the next. The entire pile of white sheets that I had placed by the crayons had been painted on and spread out over the floor like a new carpet. The paint of some of the colorful crayons had even made its way up onto the wallpaper.

I sighed. This was a mess that I decided to deal with later. "Greg, there's someone here to see you."

He rapidly turned around, standing like a deer in headlights for a few seconds. Damn, that kid was so cute with his black hair that he refused to let me cut and surprisingly blue eyes (despite his father having dark brown eyes), but there were times when I wondered if it wasn't too late for adoption.

"Is it grandpa?" he asked, carefully stepping on the empty spaced between the toys. "He promised to bring ice cream."

"No it's not grandpa", I said, holding out my hand for him to grab. "Do you remember the pictures that I have showed you of your dad?"

Gregory looked thoughtfully at me for a few seconds before he let go of my hand and turned back into his room. He reached for his superman backpack, hanging on a low hook on the wall, and opened one of the small pockets at the side. With confusion narrowed eyebrows, I watched him pull out a folded piece of paper, unfold it and hold it up with both hands.

"Like this one?" He asked.

I was almost moved to tears again and had to bite my lip to keep the tears from falling. It was indeed a picture of Alexei, the one that I had taken of him and Gregory the day he was born. "Sweetheart, do you keep a picture of him with you at kindergarten?"

Gregory nodded, looking down on his socks. He hid his hands behind his back lowered his head as if he was ashamed. "They wanted us to draw mom and dad. I found it on the table… Are you mad at me?"

"Oh honey…" I said, kneeling down to match his height better. "Of course I'm not mad, you can have as many pictures of him as you want! But he is actually here to see you now."

He looked up at me. "In the house?"

I nodded, feeling a smile spreading over my lips. "Yes, he's waiting for you in the living room."

Gregory launched at me and grabbed my hand. "Did he bring a present?"

I sighed at my son's greed for gifts, he had just celebrated his birthday and definitely enjoyed getting presents, and took him through to the living room. At first, he was practically dragging me. But as we rounded the corner into the living room, he suddenly stopped and wanted to hide behind my leg.

Alexei rose from the sofa as he saw us in the arch of the living room, his tall figure nearly dominating the room. I noticed that he was nervously clenching and un-clenching his fists and rubbing his palms against each other. When he saw Gregory, he inhaled as if he was preparing to say something extensive but lost the thread. He rounded the living room table and squatted down, mimicking my position to match Gregory's height, who wasn't more than a meter (40 inches) in height.

"Hi Gregory", he said, giving him a slightly trembling smile. "My name is Alexei."

Gregory peeked at him from behind my leg. "I know."

"Show him the picture", I encouraged. "I'll come with you."

Gregory nudged at my hand as we crossed the living room. He didn't let go of it as he held out the photo to Alexei. His smile softened as he looked at the picture, looking as if he remembered like it was yesterday.

To my surprise, Gregory let go of my hand and moved to stand next to Alexei. He pointed to the baby version of himself in the photo. "That's me."

"I know", Alexei said. "You were very small."

"I'm big now", he said. "Look!"

He squatted down onto the floor and pressed the top of his head against the wood. When he pushed away with his legs, he lost balance for a few seconds and made a clumsy tumble. However, he stood up again and smiled as if he had nailed a gymnastics competition.

Alexei clapped his hands, a smile widening on his lips. "Good job!"

Gregory looked up at me. "Mommy, I'm hungry."

I pulled my fingers through his thick black hair. "We'll start with some pancakes in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay!" he yelled and ran back in the direction of his playroom.

I rolled my eyes. "He doesn't have much patience."

"He is amazing", Alexei said and rose from the floor. He was still smiling and looked at me with a twinkle in his dark eyes. "And he has a good taste for food."

* * *

Gregory went out like a light shortly after 8 o'clock. He fell asleep halfway into changing into his pajamas, so I just put his duvet over him and let him sleep in just his pants. I quietly closed the door behind him after lighting the dim night light in his window.

Alexei was making himself comfortable in my bedroom. Unfortunately, not quite in the dirty sense. He had unpacked his suitcase and placed some of his clothes neatly onto the nightstand on the other side of where I slept. He had removed his shirt, only standing in his jeans. I stopped in the doorway, my eyes following the lean and muscular contour of his torso. He was in better shape that I remembered, not that he had been in bad shape when he left.

He flinched a little when he noticed me. "I didn't see you! Are you sneaking up on me?"

I smiled, walking up to him and placed my hand onto his back. His skin was warm and smooth, it's only blemish was a thin scar on his shoulder that I knew came from when he accidentally scratched it against the sharp corner of a shelf.

He spun around, capturing me in his arms and pressed his lips hard against mine. The sudden attack and the intensity of the kiss caught me off guard for a moment, but I soon eased into it. His warm hands found its way underneath my shirt, his fingers gently digging into the sides of my stomach.

"Is he asleep?" he breathed between kisses.

"Like a rock", I said, my breath coming out in short pants.

Apparently, that was all the confirmation that he needed. I'm sure that he would have ripped of my clothes if he was allowed to, but he settled for rapidly and determinedly throwing my clothes in a pile on the floor. I couldn't even begin to describe how it felt to feel his hands on my body again and his lips against mine again. If I would have known from the beginning that we would one day lie here again, I would have endured the last four years much better. At last, I wasn't missing a single piece of myself.

Afterwards, he put his arms around me and pulled me close to him. I leaned my head against his chest, hearing the sound of his steady heartbeat.

"How was it to see Gregory?" I asked. "You looked nervous."

"I was nervous", Alexei smiled. "Nervous and terrified that he would dislike me."

"He adores you. I found out today that he keeps that photo in his kindergarten backpack all the time."

Alexei grew silent for a few seconds, a sad frown taking form on his forehead. "I have missed his entire life. I will never get those years back with him."

"I have tried to talk as much as I can about you, so that he would know you in a way until you returned."

"We weren't sure if I would return", he mumbled.

I sat up, leaning on my elbow. "But you did. Sure, four years has passed since we last saw each other but now you have all the time in the world to be his father."

"I do not know how to be his father, I have not seen him since he was born."

I laid down again, resting my head against his bare chest. "It will come to you, just give it some time. He's a wonderful child."

Alexei smiled. "He is. He has your eyes, I never thought about it in the photos that you sent."

"He's a lot like me", I said, rolling my eyes. "I would have preferred for him to be as calm as you are."

He chuckled. "Perhaps he will calm down when he gets older."

"Hopefully", I said, thinking about the mess in his playroom that I would have to deal with somehow. Sometimes it was just easier to clean it myself than to deal with his grumpiness trying to force him to clean it up. But he had to learn sometime that if he made a mess, he was the one to clean it up.

Alexei tilted my head up again and kissed me softly. "We should sleep. I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

About a week later, I knocked on the closed door to William's study. It took almost a minute before he opened it, whipping some blood from the corner of his mouth with a napkin. A feeder was resting in the sofa by the bookshelves, a content smile on her lips and fresh bite marks on her neck.

"Oh sorry", I apologized. "I didn't know that you were busy."

"It's okay, I was done anyway", he smiled. "I was just about to send her over to you."

"Thanks", I said, suddenly realizing that I hadn't had some blood in almost four days. The days had passed in a blissful haze since Alexei came here. I waved a large, brown envelope that I had held in my hand in the air.

William nodded towards it. "What's that?"

I held it out to him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I have already signed the divorce papers."

Something gloomy passed in William's blue eyes. Without a word, he walked over to his desk and opened the top drawer. He handed me two slim pieces of papers.

"Flight tickets?" I asked, slightly confused until I saw the names on the tickets.

William nodded and pulled his fingers through his black hair. "A company owned by some Moroi in London offered me a new paralegal job there. I asked Julia if she wanted to come with me but… she declined."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you leaving without her?"

He nodded. "I didn't think that she could just throw away all these years together… But right now this move is exactly what I need. I'll make myself a new life in England."

I felt a sudden urge to give him a hug. He looked as if he tried very hard to keep his emotions in place. I settled for placing my hand on his shoulder instead. "I'm really sorry."

He swallowed. "Thank you." He extended his hand for the papers and signed them all without hesitation. I watched with a slight content as he put down his signature on the papers that ended our marriage of almost three years. However, I also felt very, very guilt-ridden.

"I'm also sorry for putting this on your table at this time… I didn't think that you would have to go through two break-ups."

William smiled faintly at me. "I was expecting this any day now, with Alexei back and all. Besides, it would be a bump in the road if I meet someone in England and I'm already married."

I returned his smile. "That woman will be happy to have you. Despite the factors that made us get married in the first place, I have actually enjoyed being married to you."

That actually made him laugh a little. "I'll make sure that she'll get that in writing before my next wedding."

"What are you going to do with the house?" I asked, looking around in the study. "Are you going to sell it? Should I start looking for another place?"

He shook his head. "If you want and can afford this place, you can stay. But contact me if you plan on moving."

"Of course", I said. "I hope that everything works out for you, as it has for me."

"I hope so too."

* * *

_Aaah, finally together again! Unfortunately, the story is heading towards an end, there's only two more chapters and an epilogue left. I have really loved writing about these two, I hope that I can continue on their story later on :)  
_

_Have a good weekend!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	29. Chapter 28

**Twenty eight **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_

After dropping Gregory off at his kindergarten at Court, a very large institution that took in any Dhampir and Moroi child until they were old enough to be sent away to school, Mirabel and I grabbed a table at a small breakfast diner. It was almost weirdly similar to the diners that you saw in American movies, with the tables by the window and the barstools by the counter. The whole place smelled deliciously of eggs, toast and coffee.

At 8 pm, several Moroi and Dhampirs had occupied the diner for a sitting or a take-away breakfast. Mirabel and I ordered our breakfast along with two big coffees and waited for the waitress to bring in our food.

"I got a new job", Mirabel said once the waitress had left and dug into her French toast.

I froze in my movement and the piece of egg I had on my fork slid back on the plate. "Really? I was not even aware of that you were looking for a new job. What kind of job is it?"

She finished chewing before she answered. "As an accountant for a company here at Court, I'm going to handle their bookkeeping."

"An accountant? Do you not need an education for that?" I asked the last line carefully. I didn't want her to misinterpret what I was saying and think that I was criticizing her education.

Mirabel's curvy lips twisted into a smirk and she looked triumphal at me. "You wouldn't say that if you knew that I've been taking enough courses in economy and critical reading over two years to earn me an associate degree."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "When did you have time for that?"

She looked down on her plate and stabbed a piece of sausage on her fork. "While you were away."

"Why did you not tell me?"

"I wasn't sure if I would have the motivation to finish them all", she admitted. "I decided to tell everyone when I was done with my studies so that I wouldn't come out as a failure."

"You are never a failure", I assured her. "I'm proud of you, congratulations on the job."

She smiled softly at me, revealing two dimples that only came out when she smiled in a certain way. "Thank you."

Her phone began to vibrate in her purse in long signals and she rapidly dug it out. "Hi, Mom. How are you?"

She paused as her mother replied. "We're good too. Yeah, sure. We haven't finished our breakfast yet."

My head snapped up. _Was she inviting her mother to dine with us?_ Not that I wanted to keep Mirabel from seeing her mother, but I wasn't too keen on chatting over a coffee considering what happened last time we met.

"Great, see you soon", Mirabel said and disconnected the call.

"You invited her here? Your mother and I do not have the best relationship", I said bitterly.

"It will be fine", Mirabel assured me and continued to eat her toast. "She promised to be nice."

I also continued to eat my food, dreading the hour that would follow.

* * *

Ariana Szelsky arrived less than 15 minutes later, dressed in a business suit and had a to-go coffee in her hand, despite that she knew that she was going to a breakfast diner. She greeted her daughter with a hug and looked as if she was about to give me one as well until she saw the look on my face.

"It's nice to meet you again", she said, giving me a smile that I think was supposed to be polite but came out nervously. It was surprisingly how many physical similarities she and Mirabel shared; same eyes, same shape of the nose and mouth. It was also surprisingly how I could resent her so much and love Mirabel so much.

I just nodded at her and focused on finishing my plate.

Mirabel immediately shrunk back from the tension that excited between me and her mother and grabbed her empty coffee-cup. "I'm going to get more coffee."

She left the table before I had any chance of objecting and left me with the woman responsible for four years of misery. Ariana twisted her paper cup on the table for a few hesitant seconds before opening her mouth.

"I want to apologize", she started. "For having you sent away."

I glanced up at her. "You can apologize anytime."

She sighed. "I haven't always been open-minded, quite the contrary actually. I was raised in a strict household and that leaves traces and opinions that are hard to change. I wanted Mirabel to be happy and have a normal life, I just didn't realize until it was too late that she was never as happy as when she was with you."

This time, I lifted my head to look her in the eyes. The sad look in her blue eyes was heartfelt. "Mirabel's relationship with me was not yours to interfere with in the first place", I snapped.

Ariana shook her head. "No, it wasn't. It cost me my influence and my position in the council, but that was a cheap price to pay compared to lose Mirabel's love for what I put her through."

"And me", I added.

"Compared to what I put you two through", she corrected herself. She looked down on her hands, rubbing her palms against each other. I hadn't expected to see her so vulnerable and ashamed. In my head, I had always thought of her as cold and arrogant, never bending her knee to anyone. However, I believed that her apology was sincere.

"Is Mirabel's father as sorry as you are?" I asked.

Ariana shook her head. "No… he stand by our decision of… having you sent away."

I nodded. "Well, I… I accept your apology."

She gave me a weak smile. "But you're not going to forgive me?"

I leaned my elbows against the surface of the table, fastening my eyes on her. "You took three years of my son's life away from me. I missed his first steps, his first words and three of his birthdays. He only recognizes me because Mirabel showed him pictures of me. That's not something an apology is going to fix."

Ariana's facial expression fell, telling me that I had hit a weak spot and she slowly shrunk in her seat. Her voice was a whisper when she answered. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

Our conversation ended as Mirabel returned to the table with a steaming cup of coffee and a bagel in her hand.

* * *

"What did - - my mother - - about?" Mirabel asked. Through the frosted glass in the shower, I could see on her movements that she was taking her clothes off and throwing them into the laundry basket. I turned the water off in the shower, shivering a little as the warm water didn't warm me anymore.

"What?" I asked.

"What did you and my mother talk about?" she repeated.

"She apologizes for sending me away", I said.

"What did you say?"

"That I accepted her apology but it will take a while before I can forgive her."

Mirabel was quiet for a little while, occupied with brushing hair. "She started apologizing to me the day I married William. I started to believe her on Greg's second birthday."

"She told me that your father did not regret anything."

Mirabel sighed. "I know… I haven't been able to talk to him properly since Greg was born."

I shivered again in the cold and turned on the shower again. I had a feeling that I would bump heads with Mirabel's father more than once in the future. Ariana's apology had already made me feel less resentful towards her. It would take some time, but there was a chance that I might forgive her.

Mirabel had already gone to bed when I stepped out of the shower. She had crawled beneath the duvet, reading the second book in a series that she had recently discovered. Her hair was splayed out over her shoulders, looking almost bronze in the sharp light from the bedside lamp.

She looked up at me. "Are you coming to bed?"

"No, I planned on sleeping on a mattress in the kitchen."

Her head snapped up and she looked at me with puzzlement until she realized that I was joking. She rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

I chuckled and lifted the covers by her feet. "I know, I am hilarious."

She narrowed her eyebrows, looking oddly at me as I dived in beneath the sheet. She started to giggle as I crawled upwards and peeked out my head through the other end of the duvet. Mirabel glanced down at me, eyebrows slightly raised and her lips twisted into an amused smile, as I rested my cheek against her stomach. My feet were quickly starting to get chilly as they peeped out over the end of the bed, unprotected by the warmth of the duvet.

"Are you using me as a pillow tonight?"

"It is comfortable", I said, pushing my hands in between her back and the pillow she rested her back against, hugging her tightly. Mirabel placed a bookmark in her book and put it away on the nightstand. She started to gently stroke my hair by running her fingers through it.

"You're even worse than your son sometimes", she smiled. "When he wants to cuddle, he clings to me like a monkey whenever I try to put him to bed."

"Do you think that he's lonely?"

She laughed. "Hardly, he spends all his days with other kids at kindergarten and he's with us all the time when he comes home."

"Will we be lonely here when he leaves for school?"

Mirabel silenced, probably realizing that it was a little more than two years before Gregory would have to attend school to be a guardian.

"What are you saying?" she asked, looking down at me. "Of course it will be lonelier when he leaves for school but we'll find a way to enterta- -"

She trailed off and I lifted my head to look at her. "What?"

"Are you trying to say that it will be too lonely here when Gregory leaves? And that we should... fill that silence?"

I barely dared to move, fearing that whatever I said or did could be right or very wrong. Mirabel abruptly sat up and pushed me away a little so that she could look me in the eyes. "Do you know what you're saying?"

I nodded. "I have given it some thought. I am not saying now or even when Gregory goes to school, but I like to think that I have a chance to be involved from the beginning."

Tears began to form in her eyes, but her lips stretched into a smile. She dried away the small drops that escaped. "With my new job and the fact that you just came back, I'm not sure that having another kid is the right thing for us now. But… I definitely want Gregory to have a sibling sometime."

I felt my face lit up. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really. But can we just take some time to focus on us, okay? I want you to myself for a little while."

I glanced at the clock on her bedside table. "I can spare an hour before I need to sleep."

Mirabel chuckled and rolled her eyes. "That's not really what I meant, but I gladly spend seven minutes in heaven with you before you need to sleep."

Perhaps that was a reference that I didn't understand, because she laughed when I said that I could keep her pleased for more than seven minutes.

* * *

_I don't have much to say, except that there's only one more chapter and an epilogue left :( I can't believe that it's soon over... It was a big step for me to post something I wrote on this site and I'm so happy that all you guys have reviewed! It has really kept me going, thank you!  
_

_Have a good weekend!_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	30. Chapter 29

**Twenty nine **

_**Mirabel Szelsky**_  
_A year earlier_

"_Hello?"_

"_Hello, is this Mirabel Ozera?" The voice was deep and definitely male. For a split second, the Russian accent fooled me into thinking that it was Alexei calling from another number._

"_Yes?" I answered, narrowing my eyebrows even more. "Who is this?"_

"_This is Dimitri Belikov. I want to ask for a favor."_

* * *

I spent about one hour walking around aimlessly in the house. William was at work and wouldn't be back until tonight and I had put Gregory down for his nap. I had no idea why Guardian Dimitri Belikov would want a favor of me or what he could possibly think that I could help him with. I guessed that I owed him a favor since he'd helped me to give my number to Alexei one and a half years ago.

I prepared some coffee and dug up some pre-made cookies from the kitchen cabinet. They had been sitting in a plastic box since I baked them about a week ago and might be a little dry by now, but it was all I had prepared.

Even though I had been waiting for someone to knock on the door, I still flinched when my visitor finally arrived. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, my palms were sweaty and I wiped them on my pants before I opened the door.

Dimitri Belikov stood, as expected, on the other side of the door. He wore that long leather coat that he never seemed to take off and had his hair tied up in a short pony tail at the nape of his neck. He greeted me by extending his hand to me to shake. "Lady Ozera."

I stepped aside. "Come in. I have prepared coffee."

"Thank you", he said, hanging his coat neatly on the clothing rack in the hallway. "I will not make this a long visit, I'm sure that you have other things to do today."

I smiled. "Nothing until my son wakes up."

Dimitri sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and I poured coffee into both our cups before I took a seat on the other side of the table. "So, what can I do for you?"

He took a sip of his coffee and was quiet for several seconds before he said anything. "This is going to sound very weird…"

"Okay?"

"I have reason to believe that Alexei is my son."

I was sure that I would have spat out my coffee if I had been drinking it at the moment. The assumption seemed as if it had been picked up out of the blue and I could only raise my eyebrows at it.

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

He took a deep breath before he started to count up the points of his theory. At first, I thought that he was making it up and it took a few seconds to process his words. But the more he talked, the more I realized that Alexei never talked about his upbringing, especially his parents, because he didn't know anything about it. His mother hadn't lived to answer his questions about his father when he was old enough to wonder about it.

The more I looked at him now, the more I noticed the similarities between him and Alexei. The same eyes, similar structure around the nose and how they both looked so professional and calm when they were talking about something serious. Hadn't it been for Alexei's black hair, anyone could have guessed the relation.

We sat in silence for almost a whole minute after he was done talking. I folded my hands in my lap, trying to sort out the new questions that popped up in my head. "Why are you taking to me about this? Shouldn't you be talking to Alexei?"

"He doesn't know", Dimitri said. "And I can't reveal this to him without being sure first."

I nodded. "What can I do?"

"With your permission, I'd like to use your son for a DNA-test."

I raised my eyebrows again. "Don't you need Alexei for that?"

Dimitri shook his head. "In a Y-chromosome test, you can detect a male lineage between a grandfather and a grandchild if the father is not available. The Y-chromosome is passed down genetically among the males, meaning that you can compare both Y-chromosome profiles to determine if they are identical or not. If Alexei is my son and since Gregory is his, our relation will show."

"How accurate is it?" I asked.

"The doctor didn't give me an exact digit, but it's very accurate."

"Alright, I give my permission for the test."

He looked up at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "All you need is a blood sample from Gregory, right? And if what you're saying is true, then he and Alexei will get a whole new family that they never thought that they were going to have. It would mean the world to Alexei to find out who his father it."

My words got a sincere smile from him. "Thank you."

* * *

I waited over two weeks after Dimitri had gotten some of Gregory's blood for the test until I heard from him again. It was almost nerve-wrecking, especially talking to Alexei on the phone when I knew that it could be confirmed any day now who his father is. I had promised Dimitri that I wouldn't say anything or give him hints until he was ready to tell him himself.

Dinner was cooking on the stove, the smell of curry and steamed vegetables spreading inside the house, and Gregory was playing with some of his toys on a thick blanket on the kitchen floor. He was surprisingly quiet and had been for days, had he been a human child I would have said that he was running a fever. It still wasn't impossible, but with the Dhampir immune system I highly doubted it. He was already dressed in his pajamas, didn't want to wear anything else tonight, with his pacifier in his mouth and a slightly shiny look in his eyes.

I sunk down next to him and placed a light hand on his forehead. "You are a little warm…"

He dropped his toys and held out his arms as a sign for me to pick him up. I placed him on my hip before he started to cry and was going to return to the stove when the doorbell rang in a sharp and long signal.

"I'll open it!" William yelled and opened the door to his study.

"I think it's for me", I yelled back, starting to walk out of the kitchen but he had already reached the front door. In a few seconds, I heard two male voices in the hallway making their way towards the kitchen and William poked his head in.

"It's Guardian Belikov, he's here to see you", he said, pulling his fingers through his dark hair that previously had looked as if he just stepped out of bed.

I nodded. "I know, thanks. Dinner's done in 15 minutes."

"Thanks", he smiled.

Dimitri entered the kitchen just as William headed back to his study, or perhaps to his bedroom to change into something more appropriate for a guest instead of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Dimitri looked as if he had come here immediately after work, for he still had the belt containing his silver stake and a small gun around his hips.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked.

I shook my head and stroked Gregory over his back as he was clinging to my neck like a sloth on a branch. "Not at all, he's just a little clingy. Do you have the results?"

He reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out an opened white envelope. I sunk down on one of the chairs at the table, tore Gregory from my neck and placed him in my lap instead. Butterflies of nervousness began to fly around in my stomach and I was suddenly very aware of how hard my heart was beating.

"I got in today, I thought that you'd like to know", he started and seemed to struggle to get the next sentence out. "It has a match of 98,5 %, Gregory is definitely my grandchild."

I had to bite my lip from not bursting into tears and my heart leaped a little in my chest. This would change so much for Alexei. "So Alexei really is your son? Should I say congratulations?"

He smiled faintly and also took a seat at the table. "Thank you."

His facial expression told me that he didn't quite share my enthusiasm for the paternity result. It wasn't discontent, I could see that much, but he looked like he hadn't processed it. I didn't want to think about it, but the thought had crossed my mind that maybe he didn't want to find out that he has a son and a grandson. Not that I blamed him, I wouldn't handle this half as well as he did if I found out that I had a son who already had a family of his own.

Gregory, suddenly coming around again, began to repeatedly take out his pacifier and put it on the table before picking it up again and put it back in his mouth. All while keeping a skeptical blue eye on Dimitri.

"He has your eyes", he noted, nodding towards Gregory.

I stroked Gregory's soft hair. "He also has my violent way of playing with toys. Normally he bangs it against the floor until it eventually breaks."

"I can imagine", Dimitri chuckled. "I should get home."

"There is dinner for you as well if you like."

"They're missing me at home", he said. "But thank you for the offer."

"You're welcome", I said, following him to the door. He grabbed his coat and put it on in a smooth movement. He put his hand on the door handle, but turned around to face me before he opened the door.

"Thank you for your help. It means a lot", he said.

I smiled faintly at him. "I'd like to say the same. This will also mean a lot to Alexei."

"I hope so", Dimitri said and nodded goodbye at me before he opened the door and left.

* * *

**_Mirabel's and Alexei's house, present time_**

"No, no! Don't stand up in the tub!" I said, hurrying over to the bathtub again where Gregory was attempting to climb out of it on his own, despite me telling him to wait until I was back with the towel. The last thing that I wanted was a son with a broken arm or a broken neck because I left him unsupervised for 30 seconds.

I picked up the slippery boy and put him down on the bathroom carpet before he started to cling to me and make me look as if I had taken a bath as well. I wrapped him in a large towel and grabbed a corner of it to rub his hair.

"Did you wash all of your hair? Did you get any shampoo in your eyes?"

He nodded to the first question and shook his head to the second, which I considered a small victory. He loved taking a bath but as soon as I said that he had to wash his hair he acted as if I tried to force him to eat bugs. The only way that he would possibly be okay with it was if he could do it on his own.

"You promised ice cream", he said. Damn kid, he forgot that he shouldn't stand up in the bath or lick a knife within 10 seconds but he remembered that I promised him ice cream if he took a bath.

"Yes, I promised", I said. "I'm sure that dad wants some as well."

I handed him his pajamas, the reason why I left him unsupervised in the first place, and watched him put them on. He put the shirt on backwards at first, but turned it around when he looked down and realized that it was wrong. After that, he took my hand and started to lead me to the kitchen.

"Dad!" he yelled as I took out the box of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. "Ice cream!"

Alexei appeared in the doorway just as I had divided the ice cream into three bowls. He had just showered, his hair was still wet and so was the collar of his t-shirt.

I gave one of the bowls to Gregory. "Give this one to dad."

Obediently, he held the bowl with both hands and walked over with it to Alexei.

"Spasibo", he smiled and took the bowl from his son's small hands.

"You're welcome", Gregory said back and hurried over to me again to get his own bowl.

Alexei's head snapped up and he looked at me with disbelief. It took me a second to understand why he reacted so strongly to that. When I did, I felt my eyebrows rise and my mouth shaped into an 'O'.

Since his return, Alxei had tried to teach Gregory some Russian by sneaking words into their everyday conversations. Perhaps it was out of homesickness or he really wanted Gregory to be bilingual. It was mostly easy words, like 'hello', 'thank you', 'please' and 'good'. It hadn't seemed to work so far, although he hadn't been trying for very long, and Gregory hadn't seemed to notice that Alexei mixed in a little of his native language when they spoke.

However, now he had replied to what Alexei had said to him in Russian, who was completely astonished that he actually had snapped up his attempts of teaching him another language.

"Did you understand what I said?" Alexei asked. "Did you understand that I said 'thank you'?"

Gregory only nodded, too busy eating his ice cream to focus on what we were talking about, and Alexei shone up as if Christmas had come early this year. He closed the distance between us in two steps and put his bowl down so that he could capture me in his arms.

"Did you hear?" he whispered. "He answered me!"

His excitement was adorable, as if he really was a child on Christmas Eve and he was almost glowing with pride that Gregory had learned something from him.

"I heard", I smiled. "I'm going to take a shower, will you put him to bed for me?"

He nodded. "Sure."

I placed a light kiss on his cheek and headed upstairs, grabbing a one of the new towels from the linen cupboard as I passed it. From the living room, I could hear Gregory beginning to complain about his bedtime and Alexei's attempts of tempting with a goodnight story.

Half an hour later, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the soft bath towels around me. Without the sound of the streaming water, I couldn't hear if Gregory was protesting about going to bed now or if Alexei had managed to put him to bed without a fuss. No matter the case, I was just happy that he wasn't screaming his lungs off until he got too tired to do anything but drop down sleeping.

Quietly, I snuck through the hallway and peeked into Gregory's bedroom. It was empty, the nightlight wasn't on and his bed was still made from this morning. I checked mine and Alexei's bedroom, but it was also empty. With narrowed eyebrows, I returned to the living room, trying not to slip on the wet spots that the water dripping down from my legs made, and found the reason to why my boys hadn't gone to bed.

Alexei was sprawled out on his back on the sofa, one arm bent over his head and the other one resting on his stomach. His chest rose and sunk in a calm rhythm, but I wasn't sure if he was sleeping. Gregory had occupied the other, slightly smaller, sofa and was sleeping in almost the exact position. He had one arm around his favorite stuffed toy, a torn rhino with a different eye that I had to sew on a while back.

I had to stifle a chuckle. I hadn't been away for more than half an hour and they both had managed to fall asleep on the sofa. My stomach flipped a little, not in a bad way, and I couldn't help but smile. They looked so much alike when they were asleep, it was fascinating that my heart could handle the love I had for them both. It was almost aching.

I stood in the doorway for a few more minutes before I turned away to put my own nightclothes on. I would put Gregory to bed myself, hoping that he would remain sleeping while I carried him to his bed, and then I would join Alexei on the couch.

* * *

_Final chapter before the epilogue! I'm starting to wrap things up and I hope that you all like it! :)  
_

_Love, Zeraphime_


	31. Epilogue

_I decided to give you the ending a little early! Since it's the last of March, I find it appropriate to finish 'A Guardian's Lineage'! That and I can barely wait for you to read the final chapter...!  
_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Epilogue **

_**Alexei Boyarov**_  
_A year later_

"Careful! Careful, watch her head", Mirabel exhorted and held her beneath my arm as if it would suddenly give in and I would drop the precious bundle I carried.

"I am not going to drop her", I assured her. Even though I had repeated that line at least a dozen times now, she didn't seem to believe me.

"You never held Gregory when he was still small, how can I know that you're not going to be careless with her?"

I lifted my head and raised my eyebrows, looking skeptically at her. "Are you afraid that I will try and play football with her? Or leave her next to the stove as I cook?"

Mirabel looked a little ashamed as she realized that I was right, but she still didn't lower her protective hands. The small baby's eyelids fluttered as she slept in my arms, her tiny hands resting by her chin. She was calmly sucking on her dummy, apparently she had already decided that the green one with the ladybug on it was her favorite, and occasionally winced a little in her sleep. Her soft head was covered in fine, delicate hairs, black as night itself and I knew that I would see a pair of dark blue eyes when she opened her eyelids.

"Mirabel, I am not going to drop her!" I said, turning my torso away so that her hands could no longer act as if I would drop her any second. "I would rather wrestle a grizzly than drop her."

Mirabel smiled. "Babies are fragile and you have spent half your life training to kill evil creatures, that doesn't sound like a good combination."

I rolled my eyes. "My daughter is not an evil creature of the night so you do not have to worry."

She finally dropped the concern that I would drop our daughter and changed the subject. "Can you try and wake her up? It's time for her to eat."

She rose from the sofa and vanished into the bathroom while I carefully moved the baby from my arms to the top of my thighs. She followed along with the moment so smoothly that she had me worried for a second, I had to rest my head against her small chest just to be sure that she was breathing.

I placed a light kiss on her head, then one on her cheek and one on the other. I dug my thumbs into her closed hands and gently rubbed her chubby palms. It took a few more kisses until she started to wake up; squishing her face together and stretching her little body out. It took a few more seconds until she opened her eyes, looking around as if she was waking up from a heavy night of drinking. Someone should slap me for comparing my innocent little girl to a drunk.

"Dobroye utro, dorogaya", (**Good morning, sweetheart) **I mumbled, rubbing my nose against her soft cheek.

She only blinked at me, her blue eyes concentrating on my face. Both she and Gregory had had dark blue eyes when they were born, I had heard somewhere that all babies (or the majority of the babies) had blue eyes at birth and that their true eye colour settled within a few months. Gregory's had gotten more blue over time, changing from dark blue to light blue. I wondered if this little girl's eyes would go the same way or if she would have my eye colour.

"Is she awake?" Mirabel called and came back to the living room. Her hair was put up in a messy bun and she had circles beneath her eyes from having to feed our daughter every three hours, even at night. Her breasts had gone up at least two cups from the pregnancy and the little extra weight she had put on during that time as well had put itself around her hips and bum, definitely giving her body an insanely attractive figure. Most women seemed to feel unattractive after a pregnancy, Mirabel just looked amazing.

"Yes she is", I said and handed her over to her mother when she had taken a place next to me in the sofa. Mirabel placed the baby at her breast who latched on immediately.

"We should decide her name", she said, stroking the baby over her hair. "People are starting to ask what her name is."

"That is because we have not had a quiet moment to sit down and talk about it", I noted. Especially not with a new baby and a very active three-year-old in the house. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking that we name her Nina", she said.

"After my mother? What is it with you and naming our children after people in my life?"

Mirabel chuckled. "We considered Nina for Gregory if he turned out to be a girl. Now we have a girl and I still like the name."

I reached my hand out and tickled our daughter on the sole of her foot. "I also like the name."

"Nina Ariana", Mirabel clarified. "Both of our mothers, does that sound like a good compromise?"

"Nina Ariana", I repeated. "I like that."

To my big surprise, I actually went along quite well with Mirabel's mother. She could occasionally come over just to visit Gregory before she went home and she had been surprisingly happy when she found out that Mirabel was pregnant again. Her father had been predictably unhelpful in everything, he still loathed my involvement in his daughter's life and he seemed to refuse to realize that I was here to stay. And for all I cared, he could be as reluctant towards me as he wished as long as he didn't take it out on Mirabel.

I leaned back, resting the back of my head against the top of the sofa and noticed that Mirabel did the same before I closed my eyes. The tiredness would be obvious for anyone if they saw us, but we had barely been out of the house, apart from grocery shopping or taking Gregory to and home from kindergarten, for two months. I already had a child, but it was the first time that I took care of a baby from the start. Neither of us could sleep for more than two hours at the time until Nina could last a little longer on her food and with two months of that, occasionally we could sleep a little longer, the tiredness was doomed to take its toll on us.

Still, glancing towards my girlfriend, who was beautiful even after two months of focusing all her energy on our new baby and barely even had time to wash her hair, I knew that I could be on this wacky schedule for the rest of my life if it meant that they were happy and safe. It didn't matter that I didn't sleep more than four hours every day, I wouldn't want it any other way.

I opened my eyes and saw that Mirabel was already looking at me. "Do you want sleep a little?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I can stay awake if I have to."

"You don't have to", Mirabel said. "She'll be eating for a little while longer."

I nodded, actually grateful that she hadn't asked me to stay awake, and leaned towards her to get a kiss. She scooted over, pulling a loose lock from her hairdo behind her ear and pressed her lips softly against mine.

* * *

I got to sleep for about one and a half hour before the sharp ringing of the doorbell sounded through the house. Immediately, I caught the sound of Gregory's light footsteps as he ran through the short corridor between Mirabel's and mine's bedroom and his room to open the door. In two seconds I expected to hear Nina's strained scream as she was awoken by the doorbell. However, it was surprisingly quiet.

I threw the blanket off my body and rubbed my eyes as I sat on the edge of the bed before I walked out to the hallway to see who or whom came to visit. Gregory had opened the front door on his own by reaching up on his toes and pull the handle down.

Dimitri and Rose stood on the threshold, holding several bags from baby stores. Both their cheeks had a faint blush from the chilly spring wind outside and dark locks of Rose's hair had escaped from her bun and curled itself in the edges.

"You look surprisingly spry for having to wake up every four hours," she smiled. "How's Mirabel?"

"Good," I said. "She's handing the few hours of sleep a lot better than I do."

Gregory interrupted by trying to take the bags from Rose's hands. "Are those for me?"

"Sorry sweetie," she said, patting his head and held out the bags to me so that she could remove her coat. Before it even slid down her elbows, Dimitri caught it and hung it up for her. Gregory's disappointment was obvious but he recovered quickly by pulling Dimitri's shirt and asking him if he could ride on his shoulders.

I opened my mouth to let him know that it's was fine saying no, but he had already sunk down on one knee so that Rose could help Gregory up on his shoulders. He squealed with excitement as Dimitri rose to his full height of 6'7 (2 meters).

"Look daddy!" he exclaimed with a big smile on his lips and stretched his hands up over his head until his little palms touched the ceiling. "I'm a giant!"

"I can see that," I smiled.

Rose nodded towards the bags. "We brought some gifts, though one of them is from Lissa and Christian."

"That's kind of them," I smiled. "I need to write down a reminder to thank them. Do you want some coffee?"

"Yes please," Dimitri said while Rose looked like she was trying to figure out a nice way to say that she'd rather drink anything else but coffee.

My smile widened. "Do not worry, you and Gregory can have some hot chocolate."

She smiled somewhat grateful at me. "Thanks. I'll help you out so Grandpa Dimitri can play horse for a little while longer."

The glance he gave her when he was called "grandpa" and "horse" in the same sentence was dismissed with an amused gaze from Rose and a light laughter that softened his features. Shortly after, Gregory gently pulled at his ears to make the horse trot forward.

Rose followed me into the kitchen and helped out by filling the pot with water while I opened the kitchen cabinet for the coffee. I'd learned not to call her Guardian Hathaway anymore by now. In the four months that I had been back, we hadn't seen each other as much as Dimitri and I had. Somehow with all the time we all spent at Court, we had managed not to run into each other alone. It was about time that we started to get more comfortable around each other; after all, she was my stepmother.

"So, how does it feel with a new baby in the house?" she asked.

"It is both exciting and tiring," I replied. "I missed the first years with Gregory so I am actually enjoying this."

Rose nodded in assent. "Yeah, I can understand that. Did you decide a name yet?"

I nodded. "Nina Ariana."

"That's pretty," she smiled. "You mother's name was Nina, right?"

I nodded again. "We considered it for Gregory if he would have been a girl."

She chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned her back against the fridge. I poured coffee into the filter and pushed the on-button.

"How does it feel to be grandparents again? Or grandpa and step-grandma?" I asked.

I noticed immediately that I might have stepped on a sore toe. Rose's eyes started so shift and she swallowed down a mouthful of saliva.

"No?" I carefully asked.

She hesitated a few seconds and turned her head a little from side to side. "Please, don't take this the wrong way, your kids are amazing and I really love them but I… I just hadn't expected to have two grandchildren by 35."

She nervously started to twist her wedding band on her left hand and a silence fell between us for a few seconds. "I know that Dimitri loves you and your kids, he doesn't seem to mind to be both a dad and a grandpa at only 42 but… I expected to be old and wrinkly when I had grandchildren, I didn't expect it to happen for at least 20 years."

I couldn't say that she was wrong, definitely not. With Gregory being four years old and Nina just a baby, I didn't expect grandchildren in at least 25 years if I ever got any. "I understand, I did not think that I would have my first child at only 19. But now I would not want it any other way."

Rose nodded as well. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so condescending. I'm really happy for you two."

I smiled. "Thank you."

As if he'd been waiting behind the door to wait for the conversation the end, Dimitri slowly entered the kitchen with Gregory practically sticking to his leg, baby Nina in his arms and Mirabel close behind. It was still a little surreal to think that Dimitri Belikov - the man, the myth, the legend - was my father. Seeing him hold my little daughter so tenderly was surprisingly heartwarming and awe-inspiring. She also looked very small in his large arms.

And, as astonishingly many women always did, Rose melted like an ice cube at summer when she saw her fearless husband once again holding a baby. She walked up to them, gently stroking the soft tufts of hair on Nina's head and talking to her in that high voice that women usually used on babies.

Mirabel snuck passed them, trying to pull Gregory away from Dimitri for a few seconds, and aimed a kiss at my cheek. She wrapped one arm around my waist, leaning her head against my shoulder. "I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

_**The end**_

* * *

_And that's it! I can't believe that it's over... Thank you all for the love and support, I never would have finished this without your reviews! And another thanks to my amazing beta who always answers my stupid questions and helps me when I'm stuck!  
_

_Thank you again for this time and I hope to see you all when I post my next story!_

_Love, and you will get more love, from Zeraphime. _


	32. Author's Note: Sequel!

Long time no see, my dear readers!

I can finally announce that I've started to write on the sequel to 'A Guardian's Lineage'! I'm 8 chapters in, pre-written, and will post the first chapter in a near future.

But, as a little treat and because I realized that I completely missed to explain that, I will post a bonus chapter with Igor Zeklos's story, how he turned out the way he did, because I completely missed that I never explained that to you guys, I only had it in my head.

Alright, I hope that you all have a good halloween and I'll see you soon again!

_Love, Zeraphime_


	33. Bonus Chapter

_**Bonus Chapter**_

_Igor Zeklos wasn't always the man he was now. Born in a prominent Royal Moroi family, his prospects had always been bright as his chances with a respectable future within reach. His father died at a young age and his mother had taken care of him as good as she could as a single mother, although the impressive inheritance from her husband most likely contributed to a rather comfortable life for her despite being left on her own with her son before even five years of marriage. _

_She wasn't the best mother for Igor, in many ways. Without counting them all, her lack of genuine interest in her only child might have contributed to his eagerness of approval and his striving for success in his later life. However, that did not stop her from taking great pride in her son's accomplishments, which without a doubt she knew was the result of her raising him on her own. _

_Igor graduated from high school with top grades and got into his first choice of university in Moscow, an achievement that pleased his mother greatly. A young man, with all the confidence and creativity that it meant, he excelled in his class and became a certified accountant. It might seem like a boring job, balancing books and counting numbers all day, but it suited him. He was through and fast, his work was appreciated by his superiors and his colleagues which only spurred him into doing an even better job. Igor soaked everything in like a sponge and used his and other's mistakes to improve himself and his work. He couldn't have a brighter future ahead of himself, or so everyone said. _

* * *

_In his final year of college, he met a woman. His line of studies required him to do several weeks of practical experience before graduation and before he was certified and during his final practical experience, he followed the rest of the office to a conference in Omsk. A loud and jolly evening while eating dinner at a restaurant, a few beers and a surprisingly sharp bread knife that wasn't properly handled resulted that Igor slicing up his palm and was asked to seek medical attention at the hospital. _

_At 11.25 pm, he arrived at the emergency room with one of the restaurant's cloth napkins wrapped around his palm in a taxi since everyone present at the dinner was too intoxicated to drive. He'd hardly stepped inside the door before a young woman, not much younger than himself, approached him. Despite that it was a human hospital and everyone waiting in the emergency room or working there was human, he could see right away that she was a Dhampir. _

_Igor had seen and met a lot of beautiful women in his adolescent years. His wealthy and royally-wed mother had a lot of equally wealthy friends with daughters or nieces who weren't unpleasing to look at. However, as soon as they opened their mouths or tried to engage in small-talk they grew increasingly more unattractive by the minute. _

_But not this one, this Dhampir woman was beautiful. So, so beautiful. 19 years old, with thick brown hair, dark brown eyes that he imagined looked like amber in sunlight and a smile that could make Ebenezer Scrooge's eyes twinkle, she strode up to him in that blue buttoned up dress that marked her as hospital staff. She'd smiled at him, immediately taking him aside to get his hand bandaged even though there were other people waiting in the emergency room. He hadn't been able to tear his gaze from her face or ignore the feeling of her soft hands gently washing the wound on his palm, applying a dressing before wrapping a light bandage around his palm and fastening it around his wrist. _

_With Igor's charisma and confidence, he'd charmed her until her cheeks were blushing pink. As if every minute was too long to be away from him, she'd regularly come with an excuse to see him; serving him water, checking to see if his dressing was still dry, taking his pulse or blood pressure. _

Olena Belikova_, the name of his angelic nurse. She'd said yes to see him again without hesitation when he'd asked. Every night for four days they met at a café close to the hotel where Igor and his colleagues were staying. Over sweet tea and vatrushka (a humble bun made from leavened or unleavened dough filled with baked cottage cheese and sometimes complimented with fruit bits or raisins), a pastry that was somewhat of a favourite with the young couple, they started to get to know each other. Before their brief rendezvous was over, they'd gotten to know each other more than just emotionally. _

_After Igor returned to his studies in Moscow, he and Olena kept in contact by letters and occasionally a phone call when she could use the phone at her work. They wrote to each other every week, telling each other whatever news had happened since they last heard from each other, whether it was important or just a movie they'd seen at the cinema. _

_Five months after they first met, with a week left until his graduation from university, the news that Olena was expecting their child came by letter. For a young man in his mid-20's who just had finished his university education and was ready to head out into the working life, it wasn't the best of news. He'd never thought of himself as a father, perhaps one day in a very distant future, but hadn't expected that day to come yet. And with a Dhampir at that. _

_When his daughter Karolina came into the world, he went out with several co-workers to celebrate. There was nothing wrong with that, surely many saw the reason to celebrate the birth of a new child. Many of his co-workers were married with children and even more of them had additional Dhampir children on the side, although there were still questions so be raised whether this was actually a celebration for Igor's first child or a reason to go out and consume large quantities of alcohol. _

_That night, the night after Igor's and Olena's daughter Karolina was born, would turn out to be the turning point for all of them. It would take a few years for them to realize that, it was doubtful that anyone would ever remember that as a turning point, but it was.  
It would be revealed that Igor's co-workers at the firm were a lot more than heavy drinkers on occasion. On their nights out, which more often than seldom could stretch out to an entire weekend, it was not uncommon to drink more than proper, discreetly intake substances that would be classified as illegal drugs and friskily give a nice-looking woman a wink or two. A trip to a Dhampir community wasn't uncommon either. There were always one or two young women willing to let a moroi sink their fangs into their neck while participating in a physical activity of the more horizontal kind, which always delighted the intoxicated (in many ways) moroi businessmen. _

_The nights out with the co-workers were always eventful and downright euphoric, there were no barriers. While a party of self-aware people would stop after a few beers or drinks, this group kept refilling the percentage of alcohol in their bodies to maintain the blessed euphoria that made every night out memorable. Igor didn't regret any of those nights, although he might not always remember all the details, and one of those nights even took him to Olena's hometown, Baia, which happened to be a regular place to visit for some of the co-workers and eventually resulted in their second child, Dimitri. _

* * *

_At first, the drinking and the partying didn't come with any other consequences apart from a hangover in the morning and occasionally noticing a few bruises where he'd bumped into something the previous night. Once or twice even discovering a black eye from pissing the wrong person off. But ultimately, the many nights of irresponsibility took its toll. _

_It would turn out that Igor wasn't the best person to control his feelings under the influence of alcohol. Whenever he had time, he travelled to Baia to visit his little family-on-the-side on the side. Karolina had turned four, an energetic child with pigtail braids and a curiosity beyond understanding, while Dimitri was a calm two-year-old toddling around with his favourite baby-blanket underneath his arm and tried to make his one month old sister Sonya quiet when she cried. _

_Sonya hadn't been as happily expected as the first two had been. She'd been conceived during one of Igor's trips to Baia where he'd run into some friends of his at the bar in town. Together they had drunk recklessly and had said one or two wrong things to a surprisingly strong dhampir man waiting to buy a beer. Igor was dragged away and thrown out with a bruise on his cheek and without settlement, something that annoyed him greatly. With no one else to take it out on, and because the alcohol diminished his impediments, that became the first night that he took his anger and frustration out on Olena. _

_It would be a comfort to say that that was the only time he hit her, that he apologized and it never occurred again. Unfortunately, it was only the first time of many. _

_As the years passed, many things changed in their lives, but never Igor's trips to Baia (and other places, but that was the most common) to drink and spend some time with the local women.. Olena raised their kinds on her own, with some help from her mother, and was torn between happiness and despair when Igor knocked on her door, intoxicated and heated. She still believed that he could be the man who she cared for at the hospital five years earlier, but she was hoping in vain. Igor met another woman, a moroi woman named Irina __Kovaleva who worked as a model for various clothing lines. She was in her mid-20's when she and Igor married, knowing and not caring that he had a sideline family of a dhampir woman and three children. Of course, a generous financial contribution from her new husband and occasionally a stolen kiss here and there helped to keep her gaze away when Igor left their home for a "business trip". _

_However, Irina Zeklos was less than excited when she found out that her husband and his dhampir mistress had a fourth child less than two years after they married. When confronting him about it, he played the most common trick in the book by saying that her pregnancy was a mistake, which didn't make things better. Doubtfully they ever talked about the issues in their marriage or even less tried to find solutions for it, but their marriage was practically over before it even started. They stayed together because people of their status didn't get divorced, but there wasn't much love or lust in their mutual life. In time, it got comfortable to live as separate people in a joint home. _

* * *

_Six years after the birth of Igor and Olena's last child, Viktoria, someone finally put a stop to his drunken visiting to the house in Baia. Old habits die hard and the trips to Baia to see Olena after a night of drinking was still a regular happening. On occasion he arrived sober, the rare times when he didn't shove Olena around, and her hopes that he would stop drinking flared up again only to be crushed into pieces when he next visited red-eyed and his breath reeking with booze. _

_The girls always dreaded their father's visits. Sonya and Viktoria hid in their rooms, listening to their father's loud voice downstairs and covering themselves with a blanket, hoping that the turn wouldn't come to them. Igor would never admit it, but their frightened approach to him made him feel powerful, made him feel in control. Karolina tried to put him on his spot a few times, the 15 year old dhampir had both the technique and the strength, but her attempts was for the moment inadequate and after the third backhanded slap, she stopped trying. _

_Their brother didn't. One rainy evening in October when Igor in his drunken state had shoved Olena into the stove after a regular round of punches, resulting in a split lip and a massive bruises over her forehead and upper arms, 13 year old Dimitri paid back. He'd also, on occasion, been the target of his father's violence. Though less often because despite his age, he was almost the same height as him and definitely stronger. Seeing his mother as well as his sisters being pushed around more times than he could count, something finally snapped. _

_Igor left Baia that day in worse shape than ever and a promise to never return. But his son's justified violence against him finally seemed to jolt some kind of sense into him. He saw himself in a clearer light than ever, trying to think what his life had been 16 years ago when he first met Olena. A young and happy man with a bright future and a skill for his profession, he seemed so far away from the angry, drunken man shoving around a beloved woman and their kids. _

_In an attempt to straighten his life up, for his own sake, he changed jobs to another firm and joined the AA to gain control over his drinking problem. It was because of his wife's Irina's constant __admonishing__, who after a few months realized that she almost preferred the absent husband she once had instead of the sober one that tried to have a normal marriage with her. They made one attempt at marriage counselling, but it was the first and last they went to. _

_Three years it took for Igor to get a grip on his life. After numerous setbacks, he managed to stay sober for a year and stop spending time with his old co-workers that still made their regular trips to dhampir communities. No one at his new work knew about his life before AA and anger management therapy, they accepted the very brief explanation he gave them and that he occasionally had to be excused to attend meetings. _

* * *

_Seven years after he left Baia for good, or so he said, he returned to the Belikova household. He'd calculated his visit carefully, chancing on a day when he was sure Dimitri wouldn't be home for he wouldn't have let him leave Baia alive. Olena was less than excited that he came back and he stayed in town for three days trying to convince her that he had changed. _

_He was sure that she was never entirely convinced, but some part of her forgave him at least a little for all the horrible things that he did to her, not that he could ever make it up to her. For a while, things were almost as they were 23 years ago when they first met. Olena was still an attractive woman, a curvy body from four children and cooking food like a goddess. But he could never get over the haunted look in her eyes. His visits to Baia when he was sober soon became less frequent and after a while, he stopped visiting at all. _

_Not until many years later, when he was assigned another guardian to compliment the guardian who had been his protector for years. A tall young man with the same dark brown eyes that he could see in all his children. A young man who resembled his son, who years earlier had beat him into a pulp, so much that Igor couldn't help but think had the right age to have been conceived around the time he saw Olena again after he got sober. It would turn out that he wasn't completely wrong. _

* * *

There you go! I'll see you again at the first chapter of the sequel!_  
_

Love, Zeraphime


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